OWLS COME TO VISIT AND MORE

 

I do love owls and every now and then we are 'granted' a visit from either one or two owls. They sit right at the back of the house underneath the canopy of a huge photinia which is nestled into a rough barked Arizona cypress, both trees planted many years ago. This is the first time I have taken satisfactory photos, I decided to use the setting for 'inside' and it worked!

Autumn seems to be starting and mushrooms appearing. Some up to 18 cms across. We had family here over the long weekend we have just had so didn't get around to taking the photos. These we collected the next day, all around the farm. We have had two lovely feeds but some of this lot were a bit past it so may try some soup or risotto...very black soup or risotto.

Today I am having some lovely time on my own as the big one has gone to Melbourne to the dentist. I absolutely adore him but I still like to have the feeling SOMETIMES of being on my own, delicious!!

It is a lovely gentle morning, beautiful clouds filling the sky and I think there could be some thunderstorms later. I am on to the second load of washing and when I finish that the shower awaits and THEN a cup of tea and into  my version of the owl. And I have a cold so I'm not doing too badly....it must be that bit of space I have today!!

Have a lovely gentle day today my readers and if you care to comment I would be delighted!!

The start of something new

I have been feeling my life is out of balance, the days slide by and what have I done. Nothing much creative, wanting to begin again and then this morning bingo!!!!!

You I know will see a mess! however I see progress.

Please excuse the sideways owl! I did correct it..I thought... but it didn't take and I HAVEN'T GOT TIME TO DO IT AGAIN NOW!! And it isn't finished by a long way!! Inspired by an owl card my lovely niece gave me for my birthday and SIXTY ONE A with her collage. The other thing that jelled was that I have a great pile fg New Zealand House and Garden at least 10 years old that I couldn't throw out as I have loved them all. Then I decided I would go through them and tear out all the recipes and inspiring things..art, craft, people. Then today I thought why not!! Just a new direction for them AND it has ignited me to come back into the fold of creativity!!
Who knows what I will do next, it might even be painting. 
Now it is back to cleaning as I have promised myself I would get a couple of rooms done... the dog hair is piling up!!
Happy creating every-one from someone who has begun again

Rain

We have had an amazing amount of rain from last Monday to Saturday, 216 mls or 8 1/2 inches. not as much as some and for us quite exciting as it came in heavy bursts with a day or so in between. However there are many areas in the North East of Victoria who have had to be evacuated and the powers that be think it may be some time before they can return home. Water is lying around everywhere and seeping out of the ground, running down the rocks and hill-sides. It is only a few years ago we had 10 inches, 250 mls for the whole year. Mount Buffalo, not so far away had 20 inches, 500 mls, a century plus record. It is hard to imagine here, maybe Queensland... or New Zealand!
 I loved the look of the mist and the rich colours of the wet grass, the depth of the green in the trees and then the patches of blue that appeared yesterday afternoon. I love the rain, especially a wet Sunday where I can curl up with the papers or just read, bliss!

 

The story of the dog with the fig! I just happened to be in the right spot! 

  I think Bear found the best fig too, most of them were rather waterlogged and not so nice.

TEACOSY FINISHED AND REMEMBERING

I promised days ago to show off my finshed teacosy but I was rather uncrafty for a couple of weeks. Nevertheless the flowers and the claasp are all complete, and it only took an hour or so to do so. Procrastination!

 

 

It looks a bit guany on the side but that isn't really so... I just didn't notice as i was taking the phot, like a good mother who smooths her daughter's hair before the photo is taken! I found a very large press stud at spotlight for the fastener through the handle. I did think it needed to be  covered there as there was rather a big gap there which could add to the cold tea syndrome!

This rose is called Remember Me and it was given to me when our darling son-in-law died 3 1/2 years ago from a brain tumour so it has a special place in mt heart. The rose changes from a tawny orange to the yellow and then to the rich russetty pink. It reminds me of all the stages of grief where one is left with the richness of all the wonderful memories and much of the pain has gone. I am feeling rather melancholy today as we went to the funeral of a very dear and amazing friend, who died from pancreatic cancer, diagnosed only 3 months ago. He wasn't young, 72, but was such a fit and energetic man. He was one of those men who will be remembered and treasured for always, his integrity, his humour, the enormous love for his family....on and on I could go. We were blessed with his friendship. 

 The priest who took the service[at least 85 if not more] told a lovely story about this wonderful man and his wife. They had been to a service he gave at the end of November, so 2 weeks after he was given his prognosis, and afterwards they introduced themselves and with smiling happy faces, they asked if he would do his funeral. As he said, almost if they were inviting him to go on an  overseas trip with them. I guess in a way he was  to be a part of Harry's journey. I am sure they must have felt it was rather a bizarre request when such a fit man was asking for this to take place soon and could see the humour.

Harry was a neighbour before he went to live in the local town. The funeral wasn't held there, in the large church but rather in the small church in our local 'village'. The church overflowed outside, many having to stand. To me one of the lovely things about it all was the procession  from the church, people walking behind the cortege to the cemetery, 300 metres away. So this community followed him, all together in their sadness, united by this man who did live such a good life.

We all have memories of those who have gone before us and our lives are so enriched by their memories.

We had 98 mls of rain on Tuesday and more is expected this afternoon. It is a very still overcast day, one of the 'gentle' days I enjoy. The big one is going through files quietly in the background, I have been tapping away here, looking up things I always think I haven't got time for, and thinking.....and remembering, all good for my soul.

WIP

As promised, my old copper jam pan, loaded with wool and WIPs, odd things I still want to read, lists, the last book I read waiting to go back to the library, etc, etc

Nestled on the top is my challenge, a tea cosy!

A very odd shape I thought! Well, I fiddled and diddled, crochet seemed to best as I could sculpture it along the way. There were many pullouts, trying one way and then another but eventually I arrived on something, not perfect, but OK!

One of my delays in showing you was I couldn't get the right colour green with my camera and I didn't want you to see the sickly colour that kept on emerging. I tried all the different settings and this was the best... for evening and morning colours. Whatever works!

It isn't finished yet, there is going to be a posy of flowers on top and something else as well. Next time!

Then my two lovely new books from the library..

 

 

There are lots of patterns, including some really cute creatures  such as this owl, done with french knitting! what a marvellous way to inspire young crafters, even a combined effort with a mum or a granny finishing it off. I really love the cat and there are others such as the giraffe and the rooster...

!!!!!!

This book has patterns for crochet, knitting and french knitting and I know my imagination will work overtime when I' looking at the pictures. I think Cute creatures has to be my favourite! Hard to pick though.

But this too is really cute, especially if you like monsters..and these monsters are so colourful and weird!!

I do love getting your comments, very encouraging when I am just getting going again. Always so good to hear others' thoughts.  So thankyou to those who do comment, especially my very loyal daughter, Kate at greedy for colour and a new reader to me, home girl at Daisies, Doilies and Donkeys. 

 Hope you enjoy the tea cosy but please do not ask me to give you a pattern!!!!!

My morning walk

I have been walking most mornings early and of course the first thing I hear when I set out is the 'raucous' 'cacophany' of the cockatoos! then I see them, dangling from the trees and soaring up into the sky when they see either the dogs or me or both...equally dangerous they think.

 

These mountain lorikeets I saw this morning are much QUIETER and more enjoyable...and don't do as much damage although they do have a liking for the lovely new growth on roses...not so good!

The next photos are of my panicked half an hour...can you guess?

 

 

 The top is of a culvert under our farm track, showing really nothing...except a blocked culvert!

The next...our guest jack russel dog hysterically barking and trying to dig frantically, dust flying out. She would not listen to my entreaties to come out and of course I imagined the worst. That sort of barking would have to mean a snake at the very least....maybe a prickly echidna...can't possibly be a rabbit. The retriever was with me, anxious and trying to look too. So I got the camera out but as you can see , not with much luck. By this time I was nearly in tears, our grandchildren's pet, how could I tell them Minnie was lost to us forever. I gave up and went home, nothing I coud do but go back later if she hadn't returned home. Which of course she did, rather dusty and weary! Thus the end of my 'peaceful walk' in the lovely fresh morning air!!

I promise next blog I will show you you my latest WIP, one of many that sit in my old jam pan [copper] beside my chair.

Also I will show you two great books from the library, new to our shelves, some very cute animals and aliens, knitted, crocheted and even some with french knitting.

See you next time!

A CATCH UP

 A long time since my last post was written, just lots of things getting in the way. Christmas, family, LIFE , and lots more, mostly good! Today is a new day! I am sort of organized, having had a walk, the house is OK and the house is quiet except for our old Lab snoring gently in the background. I have been organizing my photos and at last have some idea of the new and very complicated programme that came with the new camera. I am so grateful to number 2 daughter for spending what seemed like hours sorting it out and simplifying it for me.

 

These two sisters left home before Christmas to go to a kindergarten  baby fair as they wanted to have an adventure. Luckily they found a new home so there are all sorts of possibilities awaiting them. I was rather sad to see them go as I loved making them. Still, that is the way of the world, mothers create and their creations leave the home nest, babies and crocheted creatures alike.

A budding tennis player!!

Owls up in the tree at the back door. We love to see them there, occasionally there have been up to four, other times just the one. We know they are there when the little honeyeaters in the tree go beserk with their 'ch ch ch ch'. They obviously feel very threatened!

We have the little jack russel called Minnie staying with us, she is very happy here as you can see, snuggled between Bear, the retriever ....young and Orak, the lab... old! Bear and Minnie are great pals, Minnie literally swings from Bear's ear, he sometimes yelps but mostly pretends to chew her in retaliation with the most gentle mouth!

And then to sleep!

I intend writing now every two or three days so just have to get back into the swing of it.  It was taking me ages every photo I uploaded but that is much quicker now and so a blog  post won't take me all morning as it was. 

See you soon!