Where I Live

When I was looking for a nanny position I wanted one where I lived with the family. This is due mostly to my desire not to have to look/pay for accomidations. I also felt that by leaving each day I would miss out on the bonding that would make this oportunity more of an experience and less like just a job. Little did I know how much my sanity would come from where I spent my nights.

When I contacted Jenny about the nanny position at Oakey Creek she told me that there was a cottage on the property that I would be able to use. Now cottage can mean a lot of different things. Was she trying to make a one room shack with some running water seem quaint or was I in for a nice but rustic place to stay.

In the end neither thoughts were true. My cottage is simply a small house a few meters from the main house were the family lives. When Jenny and Richard were first married they lived in the house.

This is general shot of my place. It's fenced in which is nice because it helps keep out the animals though it does happen from time to time that I'll step outside and came face to face with Alex, the cow.

There are two doors, the one commonly used is around back.

My front porch area. You can see the lovely chalk drawing one of the kids made for me still on the cement.

You come in through the front door of the patio and you enter my kitchen. Since I eat all my meals at the other house with the family I've never done any cooking here. In all actuality I'm rather afraid to open the cupboard doors, lord only knows what might pop out at me.

Walking straight through the kitchen you'll come into the living room area. As you can see I have a couch and a tv. I don't use this room much. I'll turn the tv on in the morning to listen to the news while I'm getting ready but that's about it.

There are two bedrooms off of the living room area, this one's mine. Siobhan was in the other one when I arrived so naturally I took this one. I'm told the bed is better in the other room and could have changed once Siobhan had left but I like having the airconditioner in mine.

And lastly here's the bathroom. It's nothing fancy but rather niced sized for just me. The shower is the size of a closet but it works so really no complaints here.

So this is where I live, though honestly I don't really spend a whole lot of time here. It's a good place, my only complaint is the mice who chew my underwear and the ants that infest my toilet paper. I'm glad to have my own space to go to at the end of the day. As someone who has always enjoyed their alone time I find that it is necessary for me to get away, even if it is just to sleep.

Meet the Family

After being gone for three months you might be wondering who are these people that I'm working for/living with. I know Gram and Gramp were afraid I was signing up for white slavery or something equally horrible. Though at times I do feel like I'm slaving away it's hardly slavery. I use to joke with Jenn that I was her slave labor because I didn't get paid for the first two months I was working. Anyway, here is a small look at the family. I'm sure you'll all be hearing far more about them when I come home.

The Woolcock Clan

I feel it is appropriate to start with Richard for a couple of reasons, the biggest one being that he is the center of the family. Very little gets done or goes ahead without his knowledge, opinion or help. He has lived on Oakey Creek all his life. It's his family's land and I believe he's the fourth generation of Woolcocks to work/live on it. He's a nice man with an off color sense of humor (he'd fit in well with the Morgan's in that way). He works hard putting in long hours six days a week. That being said I don't feel like he respects the work Jenn does at the house and her shop because it's not as physically demanding or as income generating as what he does.

Jenny, 41 or 42 is constantly moving. She runs her own shop called House of Magnolias in the near by town of Springsure. It's a cool place with new and used clothes, jewelry, and antiques. She also does all the book keeping for the ranch and her shop.

Ally, 11, is Jenny's daughter from a previous relationship though Richard has been her dad from almost the beginning. By being the oldest she is great with helping coral the other kids into what needs to be done. That being said, Ally acts as if she's 35 and knows more than any of the rest of us. She constantly questions me, as well as Jenn and Richard about what is being done, as if we don't know how to do our jobs or look after the kids. Hastings, 5, the oldest and only boy in the family. Cute as a button and can be sweet and helpful when he wants to be. However, he tends to throw tantrums whenever he doesn't get his way. He wants to be and do things just like Richard or how he thinks Richard does them. For example, we went through a phase where he wouldn't wear his jammies to bed, but a tank top instead because that's what daddy wears. Bella, or Isabella, 4, is the tomboy of the a family. She is the most fearless out of the four kids. Where ever there is trouble you will find her in the mix and usually leading the way. She loves animals and being outside. Though it's Ally's job to collect the eggs from the chook (chicken) pen Bella loves to do it and will more often than not do it without being asked. She also the artist in the family, for better or worse. Much of the house is marked in "art" work. She is also the one who has bitten me on two occasions. Bridie, 2, is the baby of the Woolcock Clan. She is super cute and likes to be helpful which basically means making my job 10x harder. She is smart, already knowing her alphabet (something Hastings still struggles with) and is able to count to 10. She adores her older siblings and often copies them good behavior as well as bad. She nearly drowned less than a year ago by falling into the creek that runs through the property. The current nanny at the time saved her life at great risk to her own, or so the story goes. Dave and Clarice work for Jenn and Richard, Dave full time and Clarice on a as needed basis. They are great people. Dave and I cut into each other on a daily if not hourly basis and Clarice is a funny strong woman who I'm sure could probably rule the world given half the chance.

Then there's me! As the nanny I work generally from 7 am to 9pm making beds, making bed, helping to keep the house tidy, doing laundry, making dinner. However, I also get to explore my inner child with fingerprinting, fight and hunt monsters (who taste like chicken by the way), and test my mental know how with such as mind benders as the alphabet puzzle.