Early this morning

On our beach walk there was a white egret on the reef, it caught something but I couldnt work out what. I tried to crop this photo but it didnt come through to where i put them on my blog. very calm and still and getting hot when we walked, the wind came up later. I really hate this weather. Try double clicking to enlarge the photos. When the weather is like this a little bit at a time is the way to do things. I have played around a bit with paint and I have also cut out some hand stitch patterns but it is much easier to do what I have to do and retire with a book.

A little Christmas mouse

Ann Wood had a free pattern on her website, when I printed it off it looked a little small but I made it up any way, was a little fiddly. Now I am home I have enlarged it so eventually another larger one will be made. It is heating up quickly again, The older I get the less I do heat. There have been dreadful bushfire in Victoria and monsoon floods up north in Queensland and the Territory. Australia in summer! Since I got home I have been washing non stop and cleaning. The Melbourne family didn't make it which is sad as we haven't seen them for over a year but they have older teenagers wanting to do things and aged grandparents in the heat are not much fun. The garden looked a bit sad when we got home, sprinkler systems can only reach a certain amount and over 40 degree heat is enough to make anything wilt. We were lucky that the day we packed up and left the Island was relatively cool and the crossing not too rough but it was the unpacking again which was the killer. Still it got done. Off to a lovely lunch for an 89 year old, the day couldn't have been better. Yesterday the 89 year old, an 82 year and John, the baby at 78 all went cockling to set up for bait for next year's fishing. I stayed home and washed and washed and cleaned and shopped. We had an early beach walk this morning but it has now got hot and is set to get hotter in the next week.

Christmas morning

A mix of photos taken this morning on an early walk at Antechamber bay. Lovely on the beach but hot as soon as we walked through the sandhills. Contacted all the children, chilled bubbles, sea food salad and raspberries and ice cream for lunch, now a sit and read under the airconditioner. Once we didnt have such things and we survived, trouble is houses are not set up for heat anymore, no through drafts, even this one that was, has lost its fly netted doors and windows. Home tomorrow. Double click the collage to enlarge.

Happy Christmas

It is warming up and looks like a hot Christmas, glad we decided on salads and sea food. Hope every one has a lovely day tomorrow and it is as relaxing as ours will be. The wreath comes over to the Island every year, I first made it about 15 years ago and bits gradually get added, started with torn strip of fabric knotted to a very basic wreath.

Lunch out and a drive to Cape Willoughby

we had a lovely lunch sitting on the deck at Dudley wines, the view is the first photo, a nice King George whiting pizza between us and a glass of wine. Then on to Cape Willoughby and the lighthouse right at the far tip of the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island. Just a few photos of the lighthouse, the coastline and the type of roads we travel on, not a lot of sealed roads here, mostly dirt ones. A lovely break and now home for our afternoon naps! We had friends in for drinks last night,Great to catch up with friends we only see once a year, another easy day, but we are eating rather a lot and not exercising enough. At our age that is probably what a holiday is all about. I just love being here, seeing this wonderful island again.

Antechamber Bay

double click to enlarge. Mostly these were taken this morning at Antechamber bay, I think there is one at home, 2 on the day we came over and one of George relaxing. The cottage is in Penneshaw and the large beetle was one I hadnt seen before. It was cool and grey on the beach this morning, lots of roly poly's in the sand hills and birds in the scrub. Fascinating holes and lichens on the rocks. All in all a good mornings walk. Johns 78th birthday, heavens we are getting old. I am having lots of problems with arthritis in my hands but am still managing to do thins, even if it is a bit slower and I do think twice about clambering over rocks. About to have my afternoon read, and the inevitable nap. I dont have to worry about food for tonight and any way I think we are eating far too well, I am sure I am expanding.tomorrow night we have friends in for drinks, which just may morph into dinner too as I have loads of food. John is asleep, so is George, that is what a few days away is all about.

Not doing a lot

Today was recovery day after the 4 days of terrible heat we didn't do a lot. I didn't think it had affected us very much, but I think we are getting older heat does. so today I did a lot of sleeping. Tonight though John baked a loaf of sour dough bread and I baked a very nice fish plaki, taken from Elizabeth David's a book of Mediterranean food. John had gone fishing, and caught nothing but the fellows in a shack near us were on the beach with him and gave him a big salmon.These are a rather strong and coarse fish but make a great plaki, baked with garlic, onion. tomatoes parsley lemon, oil and wine. The juices mopped up with the bread. Tomorrow is John's birthday. We plan to walk. Then out for dinner at the pub.

Very hot

George keeping cool inside, in some places it has reached 46 degrees, Adelaide over 42, 108 in the old money. Here I don't think we have got over 37 but it is very tiring. We are trying to pack for Kangaroo Island, we are on the 9 am ferry, hope it is a bit cooler. Luckily all presents have been given out, yesterday and this morning all were delivered. So hard to think of what clothes to pack when it's so hot and yet we could possibly have a change, John tells me it might be a bit rough on the water tomorrow, great, wonder where my sea sick pills are. Also having to organise the house sitter. Will be back on line after we arrive.

Agapanthus

We came back from town to find a lovely bunch of agapanthus on the washing machine, with some added pin oak leaves they look lovely and always make me think Christmas is not too far away. I have finished the cakes and wrapped most of the presents. Now to deliver them. Adelaide tomorrow, hopefully a quick trip as it is warming up. I think we are all stressing. Sounds as if the Melbourne family will arrive just after we get home so something to look forward to.

The last few days

i am so tired, we didnt have as many walks as normal this week (oh, double click to enlarge the collage) but this is a few of the photos, The yellow roly polys have just appeared and there were some ducks in the sea as well. I have been making cakes and biscuits all day, after a trip in to the farmers market and a walk, Friday was a marathon shopping day and Thursday I drove up to a big shopping center about a bit over an hour away to get a few things. I always think I have everything for Christmas and then find I havent, its all a nonsense. We leave for the Island on Friday morning so I have to have everything done. John made the Pate yesterday. I have put a wreath on the front door but that is about all as George thinks everything new is for him to play with. I bought him a collar when i went shopping, which he hates, now to organise a phone number to go on it. I must be getting old, even with a list I am forgetting things. Still the weather is lovely, as it should be but the weather people are talking about it heating up for the end of the week. John is netting trees, with it being so dry the birds are eating everything they can get their beaks on, whether it is ripe or not. We are also trying to make sure all the watering systems work, not an easy job. Off to finish a few small gifts, most of the cards have gone, I do less and less each year, a couple of parcels have gone or are about to go too,far flung grand children! Hope you have a fun filled week end.

The week end

The weather is still hot, although there is a thin skin of cloud at the moment so not as hot as when the sun is blazing down. Yesterday we walked the cliff top near Petrels Cove, a slight breeze, early so bearable, and this morning we went over to the Goolwa markets early too, it was shady under the trees by the wharf and quite pleasant, I bought a couple of plants, took a photo of John and of the lovely old building near where we parked. I am beginning to wonder if we will ever get any rain, rather horrifying to think we could go all the way through to April or May with none. Just have to hope for a few cyclones off the Western Australian coast that will slide down our way. Watering the garden could become a problem as well as the rain water for the house. Although we have more tanks than ever, I dont remember it being as dry as this ever, virtually no rain since September Droughts and flooding rains, that is Australia. Double click to enlarge the collage.

cake, bread and birds

It has been very hot today, what to do? The air con doesn't work terribly well when it gets as hot as this, 41 degrees in Adelaide, 38 here. We went to the market early and then walked. Home and the first of 7 Christmas cakes I need to make. A loaf of bread, but that is normal, I make one every 2nd day. Then the birds, not totally finished, but almost. I have 1 more to finish beading, and 3 more to start getting it together. Have to keep busy when there isn't much one can do outside. Hope every one has a safe weekend.

the last few days

Walking has been a bit spasmodic as the weather has changed. No walk this morning as I was shopping but the beach has on the whole been pleasant if a little windy at times and yesterday it was getting a lot warmer.Today is not terribly pleasant and the next few days sound like the ones to stay inside for most of them, heading up to 40 degrees on sunday and possibly tomorrow as well. My friend R and I were going to drive about 10 hours, with a break in between over to see the Victorian Welsh Show at Tatura in Victoria, neither of us have been for a few years, we used to go every year, but with the forecast getting worse and worse we decided we couldnt leave stock, gardens or family and with one dreadful fire last week to the north of Adelaide, we didnt want to be driving home in heat. Any way I dont do heat terribly well and show grounds are not the most pleasant of places when it is hot. So I m watching for results on facebook and doing some sewing. Stay safe everyone.

I made a fabric house

I don't know how long this table Centre piece will last as George has a habit of removing things, the fabric birds I had there before all got carted off and now live in the hall which he is shut out of, most of the time. He loves carrying things in his mouth. We had friends in for dinner last night and in tidying things up this was the new setting. I made the little house over a few days and am now slowly making another smaller one. At the moment everything takes time. We had a great night last night catching up. R and I were at school together so we go back a long way. Not Tha we sat at the dining room table, it was outside until it got too cool and then around the kitchen table with George not sure about these strangers. John has been fishing, my foal was caught in the fence this morning, no injury thank goodness, she was very sensible a out it but I seemed to walk miles to get help. The weather is warming up. John has just got home, with a couple of fish the time, we had a power black out this morning, always frustrating when it is during milking but came on again much earlier than they estimated, but the dishes did finally get done and all put away from last night.

Wonderful clouds this morning

I am afraid I havent really felt up to doing my blog for the last few days, worry over the terrible bushfires north of Adelaide and knowing we had friends in that area, terrible stories of loss and survival. I spent that day and a lot of the next watching here, although we were cooler and the winds fierce but no one thank goodness dropped a match. I am having a bad run of aches and feeling a bit sorry for myself, but have an old school friend and her partner coming for dinner tonight so have had to get my act a little bit together. My beautiful Section B mare finally foaled yesterday, a bay filly by the stallion we lost, I think she will be a stunner although had a bit of a hiccup today as she hadnt had a drink for a while over night and the mare was full and tight, but she is finally ok and getting her fill. I will put up a photo when she has unscrunched a bit. We have been lucky with our fillies one mare left to foal and so far 2 colts and 5 fillies, not like a friend who so far has had I think 16 colts. We walked this morning, I have to somehow keep moving, and the clouds were wonderful. I am trying to get some sewing done but am finding reading easier. Did I say I had about 8 chicks hatched? They seem to be growing well, but there may be a heap of roosters in amongst them. Better go and start organising dinner, feed George who has been a terror, as I mopped I think I mopped with a kitten more than the mop and feed Max and the chickens.

Look what I found on my beach walk.

A paper nautilus!! I last found a very broken one so many years ago I cant remember when and that was on the southern beaches of Kangaroo Island. I have never seen one here. We have had some odd weather, no storms here but something down south as there was more sea weed on the beach and big surges of water, so different to yesterday. I love walking the beach, you have no idea what might be found. This one was pretty newly dead, no animal and it did have a small hole but on the whole, the best one I have seen. Some lovely walks, although my aching body tries to tell me that I should be more careful, but heavens, if I dont go out and do it am I just to sit in a chair in the corner? At least the weather has been a bit cooler but warming up and we have a busy week, the silly season is approaching. I have cakes to make next month for all the families and then we will be off to kangaroo Island for a week. Bliss, even if money is tighter than it has ever been. I just love where I live.

More angels and walks

I have been slowly finishing off another couple of angels, my fingers dont like me much so they have taken more time than I would normally take. We have been walking, the grasses by the footpath have gone this incredibly silvery gold, so little rain they have just bleached very well. The sea has also been that incredible colour it goes at this time of the year. I think I have 2 chickens hatched but John saw a black snake in the hen house yesterday so I hope it has moved on and is not going to eat whatever hatches. Finally it has cooled down, that is the trouble we have stinking hot days, and then a change and all you want to do is sleep. I think I have now made enough dolls for the moment, perhaps a house would be fun to make next.

Sea sand and garden

It is warming up and I dont know how much longer my pansies will last, I love their cheerful faces. We walked along the beach this morning, the sea weed has shifted and there is much more sand. Incredible how quickly it can all happen. I let the chooks out for a bit of grass, they have a very large yard but they have wiped it clean. This is where max spends the night but I shut him out during the day if the hens are out. The weather is still dry, although we had a fog this morning but that soon burnt off and the sky is clear and the sun getting hotter.I am having a lot of problems swith aches and pains, but have still managed to get a bit done in the garden, and general household chores as well. Now for a bit of sewing.

Random photos

I feel quite sick, has the world gone mad. The news from Paris is heartbreaking. This will do no one any good. Perhaps a few photos from around my part of the world will help, I hope so. A couple of walks, two days apart, one this morning on the beach, the other on the cliffs. Clouds, large round bales, sea and sand. Finally a photo from my work room out the window. I hope tomorrow the world will be a saner place but somehow I doubt it.

One thing and another

I have been busy and now the weather has cooled down I feel sleepy but am trying to get a few things finished. the doll on the bed is almost finished, she just needs some wings. On the ironing table in my bedroom, away from George, are more bodies waiting for things to be done to them. The print of the Modigliani has been above our bed for most of our 56 years of married life, once the children thought it was me! I wish now. The original has just been sold for 170 million. Wow. In Adelaide the other day, the jackeranda trees are out, not quite as spectacular as last year, but this dry funny year must have some affect on them. It always means it is exam time when those trees are blooming. Walking yesterday in a rush above Pt Elliot we found this sleepy lizard and this morning it was much cooler and overcast with a low tide. My days, my weeks. I seem to get very tired at times. Walking over to talk to S this afternoon I passed one of the small dams and heard a splash and a quack and a big fox had tried to catch the mother duck and her ducklings. Right in front of me. I dont know if it got ducklings but certainly not the mother duck.No camera of course. Off to organise dinner, I am later than I meant to be.

George is growing

I haven't blogged for a few days. I have been busy and then it got very warm for a couple of days. Our big Welsh pony show was held on Saturday, we did relatively well and thought the ponies we took looked good and were well behaved, several firsts and seconds, and champions and reserves and a Supreme. A long and tiring day for me as to get there entailed a drive of 2 hours each way and a 5 am start. We had been to granddaughter Millies 8th birthday the night before. I think it took me nearly 2 days to get over it all. So a photo of my very pretty moth orchid and George sitting on Johns lap. Hope everyone has a good week.