Railway tracks for the cockle train and the view from where we sat for coffee looking at the river and the bridge. It was a bit of an abortive trip over as we went to see an exhibition on at Signal Point, advertised opening time 10 am, no one there, had the coffee, came back well after 10.30 and still not open. I know that it is volunteers who run it but advertised times are advertised times. Not a good look I am afraid.
I shopped today, it has dripped with rain off and on and I have been sitting quietly trying to work out how to turn the heel of the sock I am knitting. I think I have done that but now for the slightly more difficult bit of getting all the bits together again. Would you believe I have 4 different sock recipes so I can try and work it all out.Cant go on u tube as the computer is running slow. Well with any luck I will sort it out, if John doesnt come and stand next to me and talk and takes no notice of my go away motions, sometimes he has no idea what I am doing. Perhaps he doesnt think I can concentrate. Frogs and crickets are out there calling, I do hope we have more rain. Although having said that I have to go to a foal show in the hills on Sunday, forcast is for cold and rain. That is about normal for the foal show.
Leaves have been falling fast, the wisteria is in a sheltered place so its leaves may go this buttery yellow and stay for a bit longer.
We went to two different areas this morning, mostly because the usual one near kent Reserve was not an easy walk as the tide was higher and there were banks of sea weed making walking difficult, the sea and the sky was quite incredible very flat and washed out looking with streaked clouds. There was a young Pacific Gull trying to eat a dead fish but I was a bit late catching him. We then went around to the road below the Bluff and walked there, easier to walk in some ways. The same really odd sea and sky. The last photo is of the road and part of the Bluff. It has been quite warm and very still after the winds yesterday. There was a lot of blown dust yesterday, picked up from the very bare earth left after the Pinery bushfire and this may have had something to do with the slightly eerie atmosphere. Loved the clouds.
Still not getting far with my knitting, and really not settling to much except reading as I still feel a bit flat. Must get my act together.
It blew hard all night and for half the day. Leaves down all over the place and we stepped onto the beach, took a photo and raced back to the car with sand blowing every where, not that you can see it here. I am a little afraid we may have acquired another cat. This black and white one has been around the house lately and eating anything that Max leaves over. Oh dear.Obviously knows people as it stands at the door and meows and I can sort of pat it. Bet its an undesexed male. we are the right distance for people to either dump them, or in this case possibly the people who rented over the road didnt take it with them.
I had stitches out of my ear today, a flu shot and was told that it was a cancer that they took off my leg, early and shouldnt be a problem. Those stitches come out next week.Oh well.
I had hoped to retrieve the photos John took yesterday morning at the dawn service, he had to lay a wreath for the local member of parliament, I tend to stay in bed, but we cant find what his phone did with them, so.. A few photos on the beach this morning, loved the bucket and spades, one very small very chatty little boy with his grandmother, but I on.y took the equipment not him. A lovely warm morning.
I havent been feeling at all well, I think a reaction to having 2 different bits of me cut out ( one on my leg and one on my ear) and a thingummy burnt off my nose, I have been feeling quite 'off' so not a lot has got done. I seem to have slept and read and not even walked a lot, although I did manage to give friends lunch on Sunday, then fell in a heap again. Hate it when that happens, no obvious symptoms just not quite right. Feeling marginally better today. Now we need some rain, and lots of it.
I have been playing around with this little figure, not sure she is totally finished but is further advanced than she was. Her dress is paper, 2 different sorts of paper napkins and I am having fun adding things as I think of them. Sorry the photo seems a bit fuzzy.
The first and last photos are of this mornings walk, over to Pt Elliot as we had to get parts for the motor bike from over that way, quite warm and lovely and this friendly magpie probably wanted a free hand out which it didnt get. Yesterday I finally got a couple of photos of the evening primroses that are lining the sprayed edges of the road. I think they were originally used as a feed plant but dont seem to like much competition and dont grow in the paddocks but look lovely lining the side of the road.It has certainly warmed up back to a t shirt and 3/4 pants today but the nights are cold. I had a visit yesterday from my sister and her son and family who were over from Perth, lovely to see them all. Today after a not good night I am sitting knitting my socks which are very slow going.
A few flowers from the garden, there is not much out there but I love these cosmos. I sort of made a map over the last few days , from home to the walk on the cliffs. I have a lot of photos of the middle bit but didnt want to bore any one. Amazing how when you sit down to do it you cant remember all the turn offs and houses. I have meant to do this for ages and now it is done. The orchids are really blooming in the sun room too. Warm days and cool nights.
It had hardly rained at all when I emptied Georges kitty litter tray early this morning, then it came in slowly and quietly, we have had nearly 10 mm of rain so far. I went into the market and luckily had my umbrella so didnt get drenched like some people. No walk as it steadily came in, driving home you couldnt see the end of the valley. I have had this sock yarn for years, probably since I last knitted my first pair of socks. So I decided I needed a challenge. This is all I have done so far, but at least I didnt twist the wool, and I did find 4 almost matching needles.I think it may take me a while but I am quite enjoying it, although I am having to concentrate, still there is only football on the tv and I can listen to that not watch it. I am so pleased with this rain as it was so gentle and the garden was in need of a good soaking. The strange photo at the top is of the three symbols for the Flinders/ Baudin bi centenary, They met off the bay, called Encounter Bay after the chance meeting of two ships from warring nations. amazing they even saw each other as they were mapping the coastline from different directions. This was our memorial to the English, French and Aboriginal inhabitants, the third odd looking one is a knobby club rush for the local inhabitants who used it for basket making. John was Mayor when this was done. Of course the two captains didnt think that the land was inhabited, or if it was, the locals were of no significance.I rather like it but there has been some controversy, when isnt there.
No walk today as it was a shopping day. I have only 2 peachicks left out of the original 4, I am never sure what happens to them one minute they are all there and then some have gone. While I was taking their photo I had a quick look at what was flowering, a callistemon and some jonquils are out. I think these are rather out of season but then the weather has been cold, hot, cold, some rain etc. Autumn is always a bit unpredictable. I have been having a bit of fun trying my hand at mapping, not sure how it will go but the inked bit is all done, now to try some colour. I had to buy a new pen, it says it is waterproof so I hope it is I cant get my favorite one, well I can but I have had to buy a box full, hate to think how much that will cost me.I am back sewing a bit, not that my hands are being very co operative but it keeps me amused.
A bit blurred but it is always a thrill to find a cowrie, havent found a good one for ages. I forgot my camera but the tide was low again this morning, a lovely walk with a handful of treasure.
Autumn is fast showing it is here, last roses, last of the herbaceous border, leaves are falling. Our walk this morning showed there had been a very high tide and now it was low, lovely skies and clouds. Nice firm sand to walk on and the sea weed was pushed way up the beach. I am rather slow but managing. Not sure if I will be able to cut back things in the garden when required. I am researching my Fibre arts class with Jessie Chorley, just got my requirements list, looks like fun and doesnt require, I hope, too much thought, just gentle stitching.
This is what I have been knitting for ages, just a couple of rectangles sewn together, leaving a hole for the head, sleeves and at the bottom to allow for a largish bum. Using up left over wool, but not a lot has gone, I thought it would use a lot more, on large needles. It is very warm and will be useful this winter to slip on I think. This mornings walk on the beach was aborted as it had drizzled for a lot of the night and we thought it was easing off, which it did for about 10 minutes and then came in again. There was a lot of sea weed on the beach too so we headed up a board walk to get to the bicycle/walking track and I took some photos of the vegetation on the sand dunes from the board walk and the shower coming in over wright Island and the Bluff. I was nearly run over by a couple of cyclists, I prefer walking the beach because they dont ring their bells and if they do I dont hear them. I am afraid I am not at all happy with the attitude of cyclists these days. Perhaps if they all had bells, lights for and aft wore light coloured clothes when on the road and their bikes were registered I would be a bit more happy. The fact that when on the road driving they can take my number but I cant take theirs is extremely annoying, especially when they are not terribly sensible on narrow country roads.
Rant over!
So glad for the bit of rain though as it keeps giving the garden a bit of a boost.
I am having problems with my replaced knee and am finding my walking rather painful and difficult. This morning I thought that the path along the cliffs near Petrels Cove would be easier to manage, not completely but I did manage most of it. The waves were thundering in and the clouds once more have been spectacular. I am a bit fed up with this as after all the replacement was supposed to fix things. I made biscuits today, general house work and washing and am trying to get the knitted top I made sewn up. Not sure what it will look like when on me but it will be warm. Basically it is an oblong with an opening for my head ans arms, and is multicoloured as I was trying to use up wool scraps. Not terribly successfully as there is still a lot left.
double click to enlarge the collage.
I think this is becoming more of a photographic blog at the moment. But who wants to hear my woes, both health and economic? The weather has been lovely, quite a heavy fog this morning, and as I wanted to get some seedlings from the nursery we went over to the point at Pt Elliot and walked after I had shopped at the market. The light was really weird and there were great lumpy waves where I have never seen them before with this odd misty light. Two paddle boarders were out on the reef where the big rocks are, amazing how they managed to catch some of the waves. Too far away for my little camera to get much of a shot at them. Low tide and big waves and this incredible sky, wispy clouds over head and big cumulus all around. Quite warm and humid too. I love autumn.
So glad we did this walk this morning although it tested out my knee.
double click to enlarge. I havent had the best of days, and I dont feel like enlarging on it at the moment. Nothing drastically wrong, just an annoyance. I loved my days away, we walked the beach this morning, but these are a mix of photos of the class, other classes and my trip over and home again. It is a lot colder, we have a fire, and a little rain, but not really enough to do more than put a bit into the rain water tank.
I arrived home safely yesterday after an early start and a long day driving by myself. About 9 hours and lots of road works and caravans. I was too tired to post.Just a small selection of what I did, more to come. The nuts I was oiling to put into a pod I had made, I hadn't finished the pod.That is to come. I found it an interesting class with new techniques. Now to regroup, wash put away and gather myself up and do. Bit worried I'm rambling! Still tired.
