THE GOOD ENOUGH Parent

with EMILY THOMPSON

The Stages Of Grief

I’m working really hard on being less grumpy this week. But it is hard.

Hard, because I’m a parent in 2023 and Miss Eight has learned how to move in “Slow-mo” which has been just wonderful for our mornings. But even so, it was all going okay and I was able to keep my cool — until the absolute unthinkable happened: our coffee machine died.

Now, it was old. We’d bought it for ourselves as a moving-in present when we bought our house 12 years ago. But, we still weren’t prepared to lose such a beloved household hero right now. I mean, come on.

We went through the stages of grief. First denial, where we actually drove to the coffee repair shop in Bathurst to get it fixed. As we set our 12-year-old Breville manual machine on his counter, he asked if this was a joke. In a panic, we pretended we were seeking repairs instead of just replacing it because we are environmental activists, fighting against a throwaway society (We’re just poor). Leaving the machine with him, we drove back to Orange while working through the second stage of grief which is anger. I don’t know if you’ve driven to Bathurst recently, but it was not a fun drive in the rain, behind a cattle truck!

Bargaining is next. I’ve heard this is where you start trying to make deals with God or yourself in exchange for the life you are grieving, but by this stage, we’d been without coffee for two days and lacked the strength or cognitive ability to bargain so we slid straight into stage four: depression.

Luckily for us, winter started sometime in April and the grey, bleak coldness of this past week has been perfect for a spot of self-indulgent melancholy. So, I stare bleakly out the window into the drizzle beyond and feel incredibly sorry for myself. Unfortunately, my wallowing is interrupted by an unwelcome ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds producing a poorly timed, but stunningly beautiful rainbow.

“GO AWAY!” I shout at it. Unfortunately, my unhinged behaviour was witnessed by at least one neighbour.

I give myself one full hour of moping before moving on to the final stage of grief. This is meant to be acceptance, but instead, I chose to settle for “distracting myself with things that aren’t as good as coffee from my machine or favourite café, but I can afford and honestly, they’ll do!” My best friend helpfully points out that Woollies currently has Nescafe Tim Tam mocha sachets at half price, which cheers me up immensely… but not as much as Tuesday’s announcement of free coffee at Macca! “Get ready quickly – now slow-mo!” I announce, attempting the impossible. “We need to stop at Maccas on the way to school!”.

“Yippee!” shouts Miss Eight. “I’m getting a Big Mac.”

I decide not to tell them that all we are getting is coffee — and only for myself — once I see how quickly they magically find hats and shoes when lulled by false promises. Plus, tantrums are easier to deal with when they’re both strapped into car seats and I can turn the music up to drown out the complaints.

After coffee — glorious coffee! — and a shocking life lesson for my children about not always getting what they want served to them, I head to school drop-off.

“I can’t BELIEVE you did that” glares Miss Eight.

“That’s because you’re in denial. It’s just the first stage of grief,” I helpfully point out. “Try and work through to acceptance by pick-up time, please!”

Spalding Waratah Youth League

PHOTOS BY CEC TILBURG

Here we have highlights from the Orange Eagles' last home game in their Spalding Waratah Youth League campaign, where they clinched victory in an overtime thriller against Moss Vale Magic.

Playing in front of a supportive home crowd at the Orange PCYC on May 20, the Eagles were down seven points at half time, but clawed their way back to have scores level with the full-time whistle blew. Keeping their momentum going into extra time, the young Eagles took home the win 84–80 over Moss Vale. The Orange Eagles play at home again this weekend.

MINIROOS SOCCER UNDER 8S ORANGE EX-SERVICES’ COUGARS VS MILLTHORPE GROWL

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN ROE

Playing at their home ground at Redmond Oval on Saturday, May 28, the Under 8s Millthorpe Growl put up a determined defence against the Cougars’ pressing attack, but it was ultimately the young Orange side that walked away with the win at full time.

“HEIFER

With

6 Bundella Close, Molong, NSW I Prime Commercial Opportunity

A very rare opportunity exists to purchase an 1,811*sqm of commercial land complete with 924*sqm shed and office space. The 3 existing sheds/offices are all able to be run independently of each other, offering a multitude of income streams. Main shed • 713*m2 (including mezzanine) + 111*m2 of office space

• 3 separate offices fitted with split system air conditioning

• Full kitchen amenities as well as full bathroom with shower/laundry/toilet

• Mezzanine storage has load rated flooring with forklift access

Second shed • 127*m2 (including mezzanine) + 50*m2 of office space

• Lunchroom/kitchenette area + mezzanine above office/kitchen/bathroom area

Third shed • 72*m2 + 11*m2 of office space + office is fitted with air conditioning

All sheds have had new electric roller doors installed and are less than 12 months old. Situated in the CBD of Molong, this property provides plenty of parking and space for truck access and the potential for further development to the block.

Auction Friday 23rd June, 10:30am

Venue 152 William St, Bathurst

Ben Redfern 0457 770 062

Hedley Eccleston 0447 715 829 eldersem.com.au * Approx.

‘HEIFER STATION’ Orange, NSW I Escape to the Vineyard - Income, Lifestyle and Growth

• 53 ha property, including 24 ha of vines, with extra area for future planting

• Award winning tourism destination, unique wine tasting cellar door experience

• Inspired country-style homestead, plus boutique farm stay

• Further growth potential for onsite restaurant, farmstays, weddings/functions, wholesale & export wines

• Retirement dictates sale

Auction Friday 23rd June, 10:30am

Venue 152 William St, Bathurst

Stewart Murphy 0427 363 118 eldersem.com.au

* Approx.

Chris Malone 0401 968 447 Ray White Rural NSW

“It

A first-class 650-acre (263.05ha) grazing property in the productive rolling basalt hills south of Orange, “Waldegrave Park” features one of the most striking residences to hit the Orange real estate market.

Built around 1998 and last sold eight years ago, this home is a modern English country manor, set in delightful, wellmaintained grounds that even include a walled formal garden. The large two-storey stone home has 11-foot ceilings, four to six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and multiple living rooms.

“I’d challenge you to travel far and wide and find another home like that; you just don’t get too many homes like that, certainly in this part of the world,” Mr Campbell said.

Nor do properties of this size in such desirable country come to market very often, he said.

Located five kilometres from Forrest Reefs, 15 kilometres from Millthorpe, and 22 kilometres from Orange, around 70 per cent of the 263 ha are arable with productive red basalt soils, excellent stands of timber, and numerous planted tree lots. It is very well suited to a cattle and sheep grazing operation, Mr Campbell said.

“It is 650 very productive acres,” Mr Campbell said. “It is very well watered, you’ve got a couple of bores on the place, good dams, the fences are good, it is a pretty spectacular property that will hopefully attract the right clientele and achieve a good result.”

As well as the grand main residence, “Waldegrave Park” has another comfortable four-bedroom two-bathroom home on the property. Other infrastructure includes three large steel frame machinery sheds, a hayshed, steel sheepyards, substantial steel cattle yards, strong fencing with livestock laneways, and abundant water with two bores, 15 dams, creek frontage, and reliable annual rainfall.

“From an agricultural point of view, it is certainly very nice country, like any of that country in that part of the world,” Mr Campbell said.

“But in terms of the house and the grounds it is pretty spectacular and hopefully appealing to people.”

If not sold prior, “Waldegrave Park,” 37 Burns Road, Waldegrave, will go to auction on July 1, at Quest Orange, located at the corner of Kite Street and McNamara Lane.

For more information contact: Tom Campbell on 0459 022 477, or Lindsay Fryer on 0428 104 132.

AWN Orange

119 Peisley Street, Orange, NSW 2800