Hand made, and made by nature

we have had some glorious rain, not a huge amount but certainly enough to put some water in the tanks and make everything look a lot fresher. I had a lovely visit from friend r today, we had lunch and then a wander around the garden and the ponies, all in the rain but it was so lovely to catch up with her. We ring regularly but dont see each other terribly often any more. I washed today and it is now soggy but well rinsed on the line. The weather is going to heat up by Wednesday so it wont matter. The clouds have been most impressive, the beach has changed, again, and I love these circles carved out of the reef rock by stones, the tide was low enough for me to take a reasonable photo. One of the Yachts is still at its moorings and the Bluff and Wright Island looked good with the clouds around. A lovely walk this morning, not wet then but a bit cooler. I made a heap of brooches like this but have now moved on to something a little larger, we have 10 x10 cm small art pieces when we go to Ballarat, they are donated and sold for a charity and I thought these might be worth making a few of. Off to shuck fresh broad beans out of the garden for dinner, with baked potatoes and steak, simple but satisfying.

Cooler but not wet this morning at Pt Elliott

I shopped and then we walked, cold and windy but none of the promised rain. Yesterday in the heat we were in Adelaide, I went to the quilt show and bought a couple of things, saw Dijanne's Sentinels which were wonderful, had lunch with a friend and then, well its official, I need to have a shoulder replacement. Having had the knee done not long ago this does not fill me with enthusiasm. It will be done in mid April next year, I can manage the pain and I have booked into three workshops next year which I am not going to miss. the last is Ballarat so I will be home for a day or so from that and then have it done. A new foal this morning, a delightful little chestnut Welsh Section A filly, I think only one possibly two to go for the season.

Special chicks and a wonderful addition to the library

The other day while walking on the beach we saw a pair of hooded plover and two newly hatched chicks. They are almost endangered, although people give numbers I still see a pair every so often on beaches around here, I think they are very shy birds but the fact that they have hatched out two on a beach frequented by many people and their dogs is a miracle of its own. OH, double click to enlarge and you will see the tiny chicks in the sea weed. Today this wonderful book came via The book depository, such a wonderful service for book lovers and without the cost of postage, I dont know how they do it. I think this cost me less than A$10 and I love it, the haiku are lovely and the illustrations are even lovelier. Hot today, a trip to Adelaide, not too bad but I am not looking forward to the one tomorrow as it will be hotter, and perhaps muggier as they are promising rain in the evening, but we are not getting excited about that. I think John said we had to have 200 ml until the end of December to make our average for the year, I doubt if we will make it. We certainly dont want it all in a few minutes in a heavy thunderstorm either. I think the weather bureau is now not sure if we will get rain at all. I would love rain, the garden needs it, the ground needs it and we are getting low in the rain water tanks. Max is telling me he wants to be fed, better go and attend to him, the chooks and Oscar the cat, who isnt looking terribly well. He is getting old and I think a bit dotty, do cats go dotty? I have never had one before who has.

Brooches and walks

I have been making these brooches, a friend is having an exhibition of brooches next year and I rather liked the idea of making these inspired by Mary Hettmansperger, I have been meaning to play around with his idea for ages. We had a birthday lunch on Sunday and before that we had been walking (no photos!) and yesterday we went along the cliff walk near Petrels cove. It is interesting there as on one side is the sea and on the other paddocks, at the moment filled with hay bales, both round and square large ones.I loved the crow sitting on an old fence post with the sea behind him. Beautiful scenes of the cove and that walk was a long and tiring one. Only a few photos, I am trying to get this house in some sort of order, and think about Christmas presents to make. We are going to Adelaide for the next two days, and I need a few things. A lovely day today, unfortunately it is going to get hotter and hotter over the next two days as well always happen when we go to the city.

Photos without a lot of words.

A few photos that really dont need words, just double click to enlarge and you may be able to see the sailing ship, without sails on the end of the Island. Foals in the paddock and on the patio by the house. Yesterday was awful, not as hot as they threatened but still hot and windy but amazingly the rhododendron flowers, that wilted so badly in the heat have perked up again as we had a cool change this morning. I went to the market, collected the papers and did my half hour walk on the beach, John was off with the fellows getting cockles. I am being extra careful today when I go to let the chooks out as yesterdays brown snake was rather large, lovely, olive green rather than brown but first a red bellied black and then a brown in almost the same spot, bit of a worry but it does mean I am being extra careful and looking where I step. John and I had a struggle this afternoon trying to get upright a rather large pot with my lovely small fuchsia in it up right and tied to some thing I just hope doesnt break. Must remember to take some cuttings of it as the honey eaters love it. So nice to be cool again today, although the watering continues. Hope every one is having a lovely week endd.

around and about

I have been playing in the garden this morning, re-potting and moving a couple of things around. It looks wonderful just at the moment thanks to John who has taken over the watering and is doing a great job, although with the total lack of rain for weeks how much longer we can keep it up I dont know, it feels a bit like some of those drought years where I couldnt water from the end of December until it rains again, April, May? Any way these are just a few photos I took, the blue wrens have moved to the other side of the house, unfortunately new nieghbours over the road have cats, and not kept indoors like ours. I do wish people would be responsible about their cat keeping, I have noticed a lack of small birds that are normally in my garden this year. Nothing of course stops the wretched black birds. Lovely song, horrid introduced pests. There was a parent magpie and its baby sitting on the fence as I walked down to see the foals and just general colour all around the garden as I walk. Weeds too I am afraid but the spring growth has really been spectacular this year. I couldnt help myself yesterday, went to the nursery for a pot each of marjoram and oregano and also came out with a lovely potted rose called karnival, I will have to keep it away from John as it has thorns, a cream and burgundy floribunda that I love. I should be ironing, better get back to it, enjoy the photos.

A few more pages

I think, hope these are different pages ! Double click to enlarge them. They are various pages, probably the most important was the rather messy one about objects that were important to me, messy as the shellac I painted on the next page soaked through.Try to read what I wrote. I am still working on pages Today was warm and a bit windy, we walked on the beach this morning which was lovely, once again the garden is looking glorious, lovely scents and colors at the moment and lots of water as well. Had a beast screen this afternoon, a bit uncomfortable with my shoulder not going where the operator needed it to go.