Sunday walk

John and I went along the cliffs towards Kings beach from Petrels Cove yesterday. it was a brilliant morning after the wind and thunderstorm of the day before. The sea had that incredible colour to it and there was a freshness about everything after the rain.
We didnt get much rain, we need a lot more.
Walking down to the beach was interesting. it was the first time in months I have managed to get this far and the high tides of the last few months have made a difference, a lot of sand had been washed out and what was left had a lot of mineralisation in it and was quite a deep purple colour and there were lots of rocks exposed as we havent seen them before. Lines of what look like the backbones of dinosaurs and these odd rocks that are left standing like some kind of sentinels.
I loved the fact that some one had been building these lovely little stone cdairns around the place too, I sometimes wonder if we have this great desire to say we have been here in stone. I know I do it myself.
I came home with a few odds and ends, my hens love the cuttlefish as it makes their eggs stronger, and there was a ray egg as well as a few other odds and ends.
I think I did rather too much yesterday as I am terribly tired today, as well as this walk I went around the mares last night making sure none were due to foal over night (they didnt thank goodness). And I managed to cut back a wheelbarrow full of garden stuff that should have been done ages ago. I had hoped to get some more done today but think I had better not try to push myself too hard.
I am also knitting cupcakes, Gina Ferrari in her blog has asked us to do a few so I am having fun, I might even make some for me. Photos when I have finished.

A morning at Adelaide Royal Show

John took Mason, Gaby and I up to the show this morning, we left early and were there not long after the gates opened on the first day. A good time to be there as not so many people and we left a little before 1pm but for all that I was very tired by the time I got home. The biggest problem was having to stand for an hour to see the Jenny Gillies show, textile art with fun, music and dance all mixed up. Jenny Gillies is a New Zealander who lives in Christchurch and we didnt think she would be back this year as she suffered damage during the earthquakes. It was a very moving and fun show and for all I had to stand it was well worth it.
The first few photos are a sample of what she makes to make the show a (cliche here) show stopper.
I caught up briefly with my sister and nephew who was showing dogs, my grand daughter who I watched gain 3rd in the class of pony hacks in the photo, had to take a photo of the junior driver event and a few of the flowers and the fun scarecrow event.
Glad I went and will be back next year but not again this year. All the pony events I would like to see are on over the week end and it will be far too crowded for me.
Click twice and it should enlarge and scroll around.

Texture and glass

While the SALA festival was on P and I went to visit this glass workshop. Eamonn Vereker was trained at Waterford Crystal in Ireland, in his workshop he has several of the pieces he made while he was there. Now he is in Australia he is making the most beautiful ranges of glass imaginable.
Totally different to his days with Waterford.
I am not showing any of his current glass but these magnificent bowls,. which I assume are glass which were outside the workshop, simply decorative pieces full of rain water, leaves and the most wonderful texture.
I think if you click to enlarge you will see them better.
Well worth a visit if you are ever in Adelaide.

Pennants for swap

These are the pennants I made for the swap run by the stargaze yahoo group. I have to confess I cant remember who got what at this stage except that the last one went to Jannice Power in Queensland. Very naughty of me to not remember but I was going through a pretty stressful time when i sent them off. I actually think I added a charm to all of them as well.
i think I put these up before but as I cant get them onto the yahoo group they are on my blog instead.
Not having aterribly good day today, the aches are back with a vengeance so I have had to up medication and take things as they come.
At least it is a beautiful day and I can sit in the sun and enjoy the spring blossom.

On early morning foal patrol

I raced out to see if we had any foals, cold about 2degrees and there was a bit of low lying cloud and the sun just coming up. Raced back in to get the camera and these were the shots I managed to get.
There were no new foals.
The last photo is of the native dendrobium hybrid which is flowering like carzy in the sun room and perfuming the whole house. Lovely.

This and that

A small part of something I have been working on for a quilt swap. I wont put the whole thing up until a later date but i had a bit of fun with this. The background is a piece of rusted fabric.
Next down the new boy on the block, the Welsh Section B colt Imperial Aden who we hope will do good things for the stud.
Then Tilly's filly who was born yesterday morning, She is part Welsh and Riding pony and is a lovely elegant little thing.
Finally the red cedar by the house has dropped all tis leaves, it does it now as it is an Australian rain forrest tree, seems strange but it will be in full leaf quite quickly.
I love the bare branches against a cloudy sky.
It is raining at the moment, just as well I left the sheets on the line as other wise I was going to have to water pots, I thought I had a good chance of a nice shower or two.
I seem to be plodding along well with this polymalga thing, after a visit to my doctor today it seems that all is going more or less as he expected and I should not get too thingy about reducing the cortisone too quickly. The trouble is it really is hard to tell wether it is my normal arthritis or the disease and now I get confused about what is which!
Enough of that, I am having fun sketching and doing some nice embroidery, keeping busy although I need to get back into the garden or it will be so over run with growing things I wont be able to get out of the back door to the car. Perhaps I will invest in a small machette.

Clouds and peacocks

This morning as I was driving back from the market the clouds were appearing over the valley. It started off as a cold and almost clear morning, but as the day has progressed the clouds have got more, and it is cold.
I have been out in the garden cutting back some shrubs and my fingers are burning with the cold, a nd the effort (and probably arthritis as well!) I always love the light and shadow and play on the clouds as they come over the valley. Just wish I could paint them.
The peacocks were together waiting to be fed the other evening so a slightly strange photo but one I took more for the textures and colours than anything else.
Do have a look at my daughter Sarah's blog, it is on my side bar. She is a wonderful photographer (with a fantastic camera and lenses) and gives a different insight into life on the farm to mine, I suppose it is that generation down thing.
I am working on a small art quilt for a swap, its not finished but at least it is under way. I am not a quilter and I probably make them in a different way, I like to fuse and use had stitch and not have too many colour distractions. I think it will be alright.