Marapana Park

28/12/2023

Merry Christmas and. happy New Year to my
Friends and Family near and far.
Where has this year gone ?
I hope you have some time to stop, relax, enjoy the moment and be replenished before the New Year starts again.
With love
Judy

24/10/2023

Spring is here and the grass is growing.
I have employed my four legged lawn mowers to cut the grass - saves on petrol !!

25/12/2022

Happy Christmas to all our friends around the world.
We hope you had, or are having,(depending which part of the world you are in) a special day with family and friends.
I think how lucky I am to have my family around me, and take time to think of those who are missing loved ones either through distance, sickness, or death.
We can still honour their presence in our hearts. (Thinking of my Dad also at this time. He died in April at 103yrs)
Also sending best wishes for a Happy New Year.
May the year bring peace for the Ukrainian people, and health for all those who have suffered from Covid.
Please take care everyone and stay safe.
With love
Judy and Bill

24/12/2021

24/12/2021

It’s that time of year again when friends are remembered and Christmas and New Year messages are sent around the world.

Bill and I have had a busy year, even with COVID-19.
As we get older it takes longer to do everything around the farm and I wish we still had Helpers staying with us to help us out.
We have also had Grandparent responsibilities this year and have been caring for our two little grandchildren two days a week as their parents were all working from home.

We hope that all our friends and family abroad and in Australia are healthy, vaccinated and COVID free.
Have a lovely Christmas and we wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Let’s hope that 2022 is an easier year for all of us.

With Love

Judy and Bill

06/10/2021

Happy Birthday Tiah.
11years old and you have become a great little Ranch horse and Extreme Cowboy competitor.
Still have a mind of your own at times, but that shows your personality. You have turned out a lovely, friendly, good little horse.

02/10/2021

My Dad has turned 103 years old !!!
He is still well but his memory is a problem for him now.
We FaceTime him every week instead of visiting due to COVID restrictions, and he looks forward to his weekly chats.
He enjoyed sharing his huge cake with the other residents of Holmwood. Unfortunately we couldn’t share it with him.
We will have another party for him when we can take him out after restrictions are lifted.

Being in lockdown does have its advantages. Bill and I can sit down in the middle of the day and nap !! 😴😊 or read a book, or catch up on little tasks that have been put aside for so long.
It also has its disadvantages when we have such unprecedented weather events as we have had this year with big winds and SO much rain and then the earthquake!!
No damage from the earthquake but the big winds and wet has caused more trees to fall down on the property which means more clean up to do before summer fire season begins.
At times like these I miss the muscles and stamina of my family and the wonderful Helpers I have had over the many years.
Bill and I don’t bounce or bend like we used to !!
But slow and steady we do what we can and appreciate how fortunate we are to live here at Marapana. We have our health and are COVID free.

Stay well everyone - and if you haven’t been vaccinated yet - please do !!!! - for all our sakes.

(For some reason I can’t add photos to this post. Facebook has changed again and I can’t work out how to add photos !!!!😠😢)

12/08/2021

To all Marapana friends around the world and here in Australia.
I hope you are healthy and vaccinated against COVID-19
Take care and get vaccinated if you haven’t been !!

20/05/2021

The circle of life never ends.
Five days after I said goodbye to my sweet precious Miah, my new eight Murray Grey weanling heifers arrived.
Feeding hay to eight hungry mouths four times a day kept me busy until it was time for them to join the rest of the herd.

13/05/2021

To all my Marapana friends and family I have very sad news.
LT Zippin Into Mischief, known to us all as Miah, died on Tuesday 11th May from colic.
I thank Bill, Jen Donnelly, Nicole and Dave Nicholls, and Dr Brett Chester from Healesville Veterinary Clinic, for all their help and support as we did our best to save her.
As they say, the good die young and we had so many plans for the future.
You were a special girl and together we learnt so much. You made me a much better rider and took me to Nationals four years in a row, placing in the top ten for every class in our last year.

Miah you will always be in my heart.❤️

Here are some photo memories of a few special moments we shared.

02/04/2021

Sooooo good to be riding Miah again after 12 months off due to a fetlock injury.
A beautiful autumn evening and lovely sunset as I rode around the farm.

20/12/2020

Christmas Wishes to all friends and family who follow us at Marapana.
It has been a year we will not forget !!

Bill and I have been luckier than most isolating on our farm during COVID lockdowns. It was work as usual, but we did try to slow ourselves down as we are not getting any younger !!!
So afternoon naps became a regular feature of our days, and taking time to smell the roses and appreciate our beautiful property.
We are looking forward to 2021 and the chance to spend more time with family and our two Grandchildren 👶👶

Wishing you all a wonderful
Christmas with family and friends.
Please remember to be safe and still
Keep vigilant to prevent COVID from reappearing.
We are lucky here in Australia.

To my friends overseas, please keep safe and COVID free if you can.
Christmas this year will be hard for you and your families.
We send our love and thoughts to you all in whatever situation you find yourselves in and hope that 2021 will bring you relief.

With love
Judy and Bill 🤶🧑‍🎄