Pilgrims’ Progress

Ticked off the To Do List……make sure everyone can walk ?????km. We don’t actually have a set amount, but we did eight kilometres today and everyone down to T3 managed it without a murmur, so we’re a few steps closer. In another month or so we’ll be doing the Coast to Coast, which is 16km, so perhaps that’s our goal.

Also ticked off today…….well, not exactly ticked off, but one of our goals is to make sure the kids will try anything foodwise. Out of eight, we only have one who can be a bit reticent about really hot curries, and the smallest one does not do bland. Other than that, they give anything a go. A moving description in “The Clay Marble” of boiled rice with dried fish fried in chillies and garlic inspired tonight’s dinner menu (although we had the luxury not afforded to Cambodians in a refugee camp of supplementing ours with some Chinese Cabbage, which is growing prolifically in the garden).  The little two potential-fusspots hoed in and came back for seconds and thirds. Tick. Tick.

Upon hearing about our upcoming silent auction, a lady who had purchased homemade flower presses from our Entrepreneur Son a couple of years ago, asked if there would be any more at the auction. Ever-the-Entrepreneur readily agreed to make more - not that he’d been planning on it. Word got round and within a few days orders were in for forty presses. Previous production runs have not exceeded a dozen, so this is Serious Business. Everyone big enough to hold a piece of sandpaper is pitching in - and the smaller ones are decorating Thank You Cards for the friends who have lent Proper Tools. If the banks don’t crash, and everyone pays up, these presses will signify two important milestones.

Firstly, the children will have achieved their savings goal to go to Disneyland! Their fund was boosted recently by the somewhat sacrificial decision to forgo Easter eggs (that one took a few days of negotiations amongst the kids to reach a consensus), and a few of them have opted to wear winter PJs that are too short so that they can contribute what we Would Have Spent on new ones to the greater goal. At that point the shortfall was $40.
And with orders for 40 presses, with “wages” being paid at a rate of $1 per press, Disneyland is in their sights.

Secondly, a book party is accomplished. After paying for wages, materials and contracting fees (they bought chocolate bars for the friends who lent them a drop saw and drill press), there ought to be a clear profit of More Than Enough for the book party….the remainder will go into the Book Publishing Fund (see tickers above).

But not wanting to count their chickens before they are hatched, nothing is being added to the tickers until the money actually appears in the bank!

Thanks to everyone who has placed orders:)
Here’s sneak preview of Mark II

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