Around the garden

Cold, heavy fog this morning, not feeling brilliant, so a small wander around the garden with the camera.

Doo dads and a few days away

I came home yesterday from a lovely few days up near Mambray Creek near the Flinders Ranges. We made doodads, such fun. Various views from around the property and at Port Germain a little further south. Unfortunately I seem to have developed a bladder infection, something that one lot of pills I take is prone to do, so in for some antibiotics this morning and feeling rather flat. Such a shame as the few days were wonderful, even though the bit over 4 hour drive home some from one side of the city to the other was rather tiring and a little fraught. Still I am now home safely and plan to do very little for the rest of the day.

It has been a bit wet.

I took this photo of Swains Crossing this morning after we had been to see Tabby, we had thought a walk but the wind and rain was a bit much. We came home and with some justification John was a little worried about this cloud at the end of the valley, blue sky yes, cloud? wind and rain and very squally when it hit.

Garden and a walk on the cliffs

Just odd photos from around the garden, I quite like the coloured leaf geranium against the base of the water tank and the camellia with its fiery red blooms against the sky. That was yesterday, today after another wild night of storms and wind and hail we walked along the cliffs with a rather chaotic sea below. Petrels Cove has lost sand again and there are a lot of rocks that were not there last week and I just love the way the water trickles over the rocks after a large wave. I have just spent time going through a zillion photos trying to find some of my daughter on the horses she rode in her teens, We have far too many albums as well as a heap of slides. No one will want to go through them when we depart this earth. Not getting a lot done!!

Busy few days

The weather has been weird, yesterday I had to go to Noarlunga, to Spotlight to buy some scissors as I seem to have lost mine and they carry the particular one I wanted. There was heavy fog and in places very heavy fog all the way to just before Willunga Hill. I bought my scissors and called into McLaren Vale to see one of the fleurieu art prize exhibitions and then ran into the fog in the same place on the way home. I called in to see friend W near Mt Compass and nearly missed their entrance the fog was so thick. They have just come back from a wonderful overseas trip which included Scandinavia and Russia. W is a decorative painter so was very interested in seeing the Russian decorative stuff, and brought home a couple of lovely things. She gave me lunch and thank goodness by the time I left the fog had gone. I took the bare tree, at the McLaren Vale visitor information centre, it is a pistachio I think. Loved the bare branches. The first of the milking herd went yesterday and today the remainder that have been bought to go on milking are being loaded, I really dont want to know about it, so terribly depressing, at least they are going to a dairy, what is left will go over hooks. such a terrible shame but at the moment dairying is going backwards and we just couldnt keep on, as it is it wont really cover the debt. I just hope we can stay here on nearly 300 acres for a bit longer. Change and upset. This morning we had a short walk on the beach, havent managed one for ages, not a long walk as I am aching badly with this very changeable weather. Not sleeping well either. I rather liked the sky over the causeway and the bit of Granite Island and this shag (cormorant) was drying his wings on the banks of sea weed and really didnt want us near him. The beach has changed a lot in the past week, sand has gone from the for dunes taking a lot of marrum grass and shrubs with it. Its been a pretty wild winter and we havent seen one like this for quite a while. I am stuffing an animal, hare to add more fabric too and knitting a pair of slippers, but not finished so nothing in that line to show. Such a disturbed week or so politically as well, I just hope it all gets better eventually. I will be away for a few days next week, going north near the Flinders Ranges so I may be a bit quiet.

River Murray mouth from Hindmarsh Island

We went to David Dridan's exhibition opening at Signal Point in Goolwa this afternoon and then headed over to Hindmarsh Island and the Murray mouth. I took a few photos, they still seem to be dredging. A lovely few hours away from home. Seemed to get colder as the day wore on, we had blue sky in the morning and then a thin skin of clouds came up.

A small rabbit and this mornings photos

I have finished this little felt rabbit and it is now in the box with all the other little felt animals I am making. I had friend P staying over night, one of the coldest we have so far had, a good frost this morning so a bit of a late start. John has gone fishing. We went our seperate ways into the farmers market, The lad there with his succulents and herbs was there, I cant keep away. I was good and only bought one. I came home via a new patchworks shop that has opened, lovely and in a nice house, I hope she does well. I couldnt come away empty handed so a $3 fat quarter cme home with me. I drove out to the Bluff and took a photo of a relatively calm sea after all the blustery weather we have had, and came home the back way, hoping. assuming, that any trees that may have come down over the road would have been cleared away, thank goodness they were. Love this view along the road across the valley. Even though the sun is shining parts of the house are not particularly warm so I will be back to the fire in a minute.

Basham's beach this morning

We had a lovely walk this morning, partly around the sea at Basham's beach, dont you love the way the waves form a semi circle coming into shore, and then across the top of the small hill, we hadnt walked there before but there was a mown track so we decided it was easier for me than tripping over granite boulders as I usually do. The sun was out, wattles starting to flower and birds chasing each other. No rain for a couple of days according to the weather bureau, I hope for once they are right, we are very soggy underfoot. No walks for days because of the weather and I do like my walks.

Rabbit finished and George

I have finally finished my little rabbits dress, made a mistake but I couldn't see to unpack so it will have to stay. George is snoozing on a chair by the fire. Today we have finally had a relatively calm day, but freezing cold, I had to go into Victor really early for a blood test and didn't warm up until after midday. Yesterday was a rather hair raising trip up to Adelaide, trees down all over the place, several pine trees which is a bit unusual and one right over the road just down from us. When we had lunch near O'Sullivans beach Marina, the sea was coming right the sea wall. Most impressive. Thank goodness the forcast for the next few days is for quite nice weather, I hope so.

Awful day.

Gale force winds, trees down all over the place, bangs and rattles on the roof all night, odd small rain squalls, supposed to calm a bit and then come in again. I went to Hahndorf yesterday for a class on string making with the lovely India Flint and before I got out of the valley I was held up with a huge tree down over the road, was rather worried about going through the hills but luckily it wasnt as bad there. Gosh I feel old, most of the class were in their 40's I think, still I now know how to make string. I left early as I really didnt want to come home in the dark.( also I was tired!!)

Morning walks

Cockatoos in a dead tree, it was freezing cold this morning, a bit of clear sky and then it clouded over and has been miserable all day. We went over to Pt Elliot to walk as we had to pick up some parts for the motor bkie over in that direction,starlings on one of the granite rocks over by the steps and small plants that seem to survive by the path, the sea is on the other side so thay have to be pretty hardy. I have been struggling with my knitted bunnies dress, but at least it is warm by the fire, finally, it has taken a while to warm up, but freezing out here where the computer is.

Mad rabbits and a walk on the farm

I have just finished another of Jill Maas's mad rabbits, fiddly but fun. I managed a walk up the hill behind the house this afternoon, John came with me and i needed my stick or I wouldnt have done it. A lovely afternoon, too good to be inside. I felt it was an achievement as walking on rough ground isnt easy any more. The last photo probably of the dairy herd, they are on the market and probably, we hope, will see a buyer on Monday. So another dairy hits the dirt, it is just not economic any more and we have sold off some land, not sure how we will manage but it was time. John was milking a few cows when we ere married 57 years ago, but then we mostly had sheep. Personally I prefer sheep, now I suppose we will have the ponies and a few beef cattle to keep us going, just hope the prices keep at a reasonable rate and we dont have an interfering government who says we cant have them, like what has happened to the greyhound industry in NSW. What a stupid unthought out decision that is. I am sick of populist parliamentarians.

Wet and wild and some small animals finished

We have had our average rain for July already, the creeks were up and the sea looked stormy and dirty from the water coming from the rivers. Not much in the way of walks as it has been so wet, heavy showers are still happening and I have been closeted inside working on finishing some things near the fire where it is warm and where my wretched arthritic aches are slightly better. I need to keep my hands moving in weather like this. So my Little cotton rabbits bunny is almost finished, she needs a tail and her dress but at least I can see what she looks like. Loved this pattern as it is all knitted on the flat and put together later. Look up Little cotton rabbits on google and see what she does. Delightful. I have done a couple more little kittens as well, these probably will be what I add to Christmas packages this year. I can finish them quickly and add a few more bits to make them individual. I like winter, we used to ski every year but as I get older and more decrepit I do find it a bit more difficult to manage. a bit of sun would be nice.

Cold and damp, short walk to the mouth of the Inman river

It has rained and small hail for a lot of the day, for us cold. We did a short walk around to the mouth of the Inman River this morning before the rain came pouring down. It has lightened up a bit now. Feels like a fairly normal winter. I have sewn up one leg and body so one more leg to go on my rabbit and then put it all together. I find I have to concentrate a lot more than once I had to. Maybe I will finish it tomorrow, such a wimp I am.

Scrub wren and on the beach

George has been watching this little scrub wren who has been attacking his reflection in the kitchen window, using the step ladder as a perch. It has also been making a terrible mess of the mirrors on our cars in the garage, now all covered with bags to help stop the mess he is making. We walked along the beach this morning, loved that sky, it rained for most of the night but cleared and finally later this morning we had sun and the clothes on the line dried. You can see how much erosion there has been on the for dunes on the beach in the last few days with big seas pounding them. It is still not easy walking as the sand and sea weed keeps on moving and building up.I am trying to get some sewing done and need to sew up the rabbit, most of the knitting is done but I need some quiet time to concentrate. today I kept falling asleep!!

More mushrooms and a bit wild on the coast

Election day today, goodness knows what the results will bring. I just hope some sense so we can keep the country moving. We stood in a very long queue and seemed to waste a lot of paper. We then had a walk on the cliffs, very wild and rainy and lots of froth and bubble. It has rained off and on all day, cold and miserable. I have finished another small mushroom to go with the other, now I would like them to stand and not lean on my bird houses, a few ideas, but not sure yet, I love them but really dont want them to dangle, I wondered about a nice rough piece of wood or a rock, but they are not quite as stable as I would like. Perhaps I will have a flash of brilliance tomorrow.