A NEW BEGINNING FOR US, GOODBYE AND A BIG HELLO

Firstly, it has been a few weeks since I last wrote so please forgive me those who read my posts and thankyou to those who keep coming back to check whether there is a new post. It has been sschool holidays, Easter, lots of family times and a little hicough or two.
Last week was the big one, with a scare in our house. The big one has been a heavy smoker for all the time I have known him, nearly 25 years and over the last few months he has been having acupuncture to help stop. This has been helpful but hasn't done the trick. Then he had a really nasty bug which laid him low for several weeks, had two trips to the doctor and was advised to have a chest x-ray. He didn't feel it was anything to worry about but within 2 hours of having the x-ray we had the call to go and have a CT scan which we were able to do in Melbourne that afternoon. It was scary and no matter how positive one can try to be there is always that thought sitting on your shoulder. The words, there is something there..., not good. He had the scan and as we drove home to daughter no 1 we had the all clear phone call, it was just leftover infection from the bug he had had. That was it and we saw the doctor 2 days later, the tobacco went into the rubbish bin with the doctor there as a witness and I am now married to a non-smoker. Our 5 year old grand-daughter said, 'That is so good, now Pa will have more time to play with me. He won't have to stop playing to have a cigarette.' Have to say I agree, no more waiting waiting while he 'just' has a smoke. Our trips in the car won't take as long as we don't have to stop on the way. He won't have that lingering scent....and he has a much better chance of living his full life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are very lucky indeed.

You might wonder at this photo of his study but this is the first time he has had his curtains shut at night...because of the smoke in his study, the only room he smoked in the house. It is a miracle!!

And now for the HELLO. I am off to NZ in the morning to see the family for two whole weeks. The goodbyes at home before  I go are always hard but the goodbyes in NZ hardER. 

This fellow has been following me everywhere as I do all the last minute things in the garden, washing, ironing and soon it will be the packing. I just need the suitcase down from the top of the cupboard.

Flowers to remind the big one of me!

Autumn leaves to remind me of home. I am sure there will be more posts from the home of Greedy For Colour so until then may you all be safe and contented. Contentment means so much.

SPIDERS, BIRDS, BEANIES AND A BOOK

When i checked the persimmons on Saturday a spider dangled down on his tiny thread from the fruit but as you would know by the time I had camera in hand he had clambered back to safety. I'm not that keen on spiders but this one had the most beautiful golden zig-zag stripe up each side of his body.

Then he hid his face so that I couldn't see him!!

On my side bar I put a couple of my favourite books some time ago and of course it should be updated.  I am in the middle of reading Helen Brown's second book, about her second cat, a Siamese called Jonah.

Years ago we had a Siamese called Shah...Jonah's eyes bring our Shah right back into my arms, the purr and the yowl when we had chicken cooking. Kate at Greedy for Colour loved him to bits, was devastated when he disappeared, presumably to have had an accident somewhere. This book is just as delightful as the first with the challenge of breast cancer thrown in along with a daughter wanting to be a Buddhist nun in Sri Lanka and the cat playing havoc with them all. Helen Brown writes the way it is, with so much self-depracating humour, how she misunderstands and judges said daughter...don't we all at times! I am loving it, so thankyou Helen Brown!

Two beanies for loved teachers at the boy's school in Malvern, both having boys within two or three weeks of each other. I need to get back to beanies as there are two more due before too long....just wish I knew what they were because I could then pre-knit!!

The second photo was taken through my window, this one tried to get seed but the dish bounced away from him and he jumped away in fright. Then she tried to hold the dish with her beak but that didn't help much as she couldn't eat AND hold the dish so she had the bright idea of holding it with her foot...she did eat some seed but it was a very tentative try and then she heard the camera click and off she went.

 

I had my early cup of tea in bed yesterday morning and I saw the Eastern Rosellas from my bed, then had to race to get the camera. There were four of them to begin with as well as two Choughs drinking water just behind them on the rock wall. A lovely sight ..and sound...first thing. Much better than the raucous screeching of the cockatoos and the corellas the morning before

One of the corellas.

And one of the cockatoos.

I am into our local town today to visit a dear friend, shop and of course my compulsory visit to the library where I know there are books waiting for me, exciting!!

Eastern rosellas are attacking so there had to be an instant pick yesterday, the birds all seem so intelligent, sniffing out what is ready to eat and pouncing. the persimmons, in the first photo, are always welcome just to decorate the house and suggest autumn, as do the pomegranates below. Sadly I missed the quinces as by the time I went to the bottom of the garden there weren't any left at all. I adore the smell of ripening quinces wafting by me as I walk past. Greedy for Colour says she has frozen some for me when I go there in two weeks....I will enjoy them so much!

The plum tree at the back door and the crab-apple in the garden are both confused with our weather, they seem to have forgotten they don't flower now, maybe they just don't want to believe it will be winter before too long. I don't agree if that is the case..I love autumn and spring, loving all the colours and then the fresh new growth but there is something about winter with the evenings closing in, curtains drawn, cosy fires and good excuses to sit there, quietly contemplating, knitting, crocheting, reading ......or just sitting with the dogs curled up beside me.

Enough for today, I am going to enjoy my Sunday, a walk then into my studio for a couple of hours, a read of the papers, there are some things that have to be done but hopefully not too many, perhaps just in 'small bites' as the big one says.It is another beautiful day in paradise here in the north-east, I hope it is with you too!

RAMBLINGS WITH GEORGE IN THE GARDEN AND MORE

The photographer, taken by his own hand with the fish-eye position on the camera...very tempting to take lots of photos of oneself! The rest of these are taken by the photographer..so well done and interesting. I love them all.

  

This photo, above, is the side of a very old, in fact ancient, garden seat, heavy cast iron and George saw something interesting in it...I am fascinated by all he 'saw' with the camera and think that

  maybe I will be more adventurous in the future! I will leave you with this last one that I love, he used a 'pop art' feature to take it......Have a lovely weekend wherever you are, be it Dunedin with Greedy for colour, in Autumn on this side of the world or  spring on the 'other' side!

Finished beanie, Easter and More

I am so pleased to have finally finished the beanie, here being modelled by our George, watching early morning television. He is grandson no 2 from Melbourne staying here by himself while the others went back to Melbourne for the night. They are collecting very old and dear friends from London and they will all come here tonight for two nights. it will be very different for the 'English', being here on the farm. I'm so pleased it is green everywhere, the days should be lovely, then nights cold so fires are mandatory. The 13 yr olds will be camping close to the house....will get dressed to go to bed I am sure!! While the tent was empty last night I toyed with the idea of having a night in it but as the forecast was for 4deg. I decided electric blanket and my bed were too important!

These photos were all taken by George who happened to pick up my camera ans began fiddling with it, my precious camera! he is 11 by the way and as all 11 year olds are can be very responsible!! I bravely said he could go and experiment with it and these photos are the result. I so wish I had taken the last one, perfect timing with the sun just going down, the sillouette of the trees and the touch of green!! He even reminded me of some of the settings I had forgotten about. What is it about children and gadgets.... they just understand and are not afraid of jumping in and trying things....needless to say I was very impressed. The other thing that interested me is that he takes photos from a different angle, in other words he is shorter than I am, so the camera is lower... for example the creamy rose is at a much higher angle for him, against the sky. Not very well explained but I am sure you will understand!!

                                                             Well done George!!

We had a lovely Easter, our son from Sydney, the Melbourne 'lot', with our local family here  for the day. Easter Bunny did a great job, very generous he was with the little ones amazed at how many they found. the bigger ones love the hunt too.. for the results which are all pooled and then divided up, the oldest one's task!

i haven't been able to stop so TODAY it is essential. I have sadly got the chocolate taste back and there will have to be better disciplining of my wishes...urges....desires...WHATEVEEEEER!! I read in one blog, 'it should be Happy Eater, not Happy Easter. I do agree. just not right!!

Have a happy day, I nearly said have a happy eater but luckily stopped myself in time!! A bit of cooking for me today and fresh sheets on the visitors beds, hopefully being reasonably organised for the visitors. Also shopping to replenish the food supplies. Maybe just 'feed them...not cake but Easter eggs that are still littering the house! Oh, and I forgot, some picking up of all the tiny pieces of foil... from Easter eggs... that seem to be growing every where I look. See you all soon!!

YUPO PAPER

 

On Sunday I was determined to go into my studio and spend THE day there as lately it has been a treat for when I have finished something else, then things get in the way and my so called 'treat doesn't happen. Well, I did, mostly spend the day although some time was spent in front of the computer looking at demonstrations for a new to me 'paper'....yupo or as I asked in the art shop in Melbourne, yuppy paper. The first girl didn't know what I was talking about but thankfully someone else did! I do get words muddled sometimes!!!

anyway I did buy a sheet of the yupo which is not rally paper at all but it is a sort of plastic pretend paper. It is fascinating to use, like painting on glass. The paint sits on top, it needs to dry before you can paint on top of it without losing what you have already done. But the effects are lovely, can be almost like painting on silk I think.

I have a long way to go with it and have only experimented so far.

If you don't like what you have done you can just wipe it out, even when it is dry, this has happened here and I am left with a very delicate base that I will build on.

In this one I used a roller and squidged the paint around, good fun. The square shape I just removed with some damp paper and a stencil...and then some paint washed on to it later by mistake...so I will just go back and wipe again. I sadly only bought one sheet so will have to wait for another trip to Melbourne. A long way to go yet but fun to try another paper.

The Manchurian pear has just begun to turn, the solanum is in full bloom, better than ever with the rain we have had...it is even darker than the photo shows, so pretty against the coloured leaves of the pear.

Have a happy, peaceful and or contented day. I think it is contentment I look for, sometimes hard when things are not quite going my way, or house work... contentment in all things, more Buddhist would be good!