Another baby bird

How can it be so cold today after it was sooooo hot yesterday?!? Both extremes mean that not much outside work got done.

Last week we commented on the absence of the frogmouths who have nested on our block in recent years. However a day or two later a lone downy baby was sighted at the base of a tree on our neighbours' block; another nestling had hit the ground! We placed it on a nearby branch and the parents took up guard almost immediately. Interesting because we have have observed that they are normally most reluctant to move about in daylight hours. The baby is still in the same place and being well cared for by its parents. It may be some time before it can fly.

I actually took this photo with my phone and have finally sorted out the bluetooth thing to transfer the image to the computer.

I don't watch much television but in recent weeks have started to watch old re-runs of M.A.S.H. It still makes me laugh as much as it did decades ago - and I still think Alan Alda is lovely!

We organised our annual street bbq for last week and that was a huge success. A few houses have changed hands since last year and although we all tend to wave to each other as we drive up and down the street, it was great to have an opportunity for everyone to meet and talk to each other.

I am delighted to be able to report that I can buy Australian-grown tinned asparagus spears and commend Windsor Farm on this new initiative. It really annoys me that so many foodstuffs on our grocery shelves are imported when we should be able to grow them in Australia!

Lucky Bird

A week ago a baby galah dropped out of one of our nesting boxes and into our lives. After several messy feeding sessions in the laundry I placed him on our front verandah and eventually the parent birds came down to feed it. It slept in a box inside at night and I got up at dawn each day to put it out for the parents to feed, which they did regularly throughout the days. After several unsuccessful jumps off of the verandah, and encouraged by its parents, it flew away on Wednesday. I was relieved, and sad, to see it go.


Eight or nine years ago, prompted by sightings of squirrel gliders, "we" built a number of nesting boxes and paid someone to install them in our big trees. The unfortunate (or maybe fortunate?) galah fell/jumped about 40 feet from a box that its parents had used previously. This photo shows the prototype box that was hung about 4 feet off the ground, just outside the workshop door - and quickly occupied by a brushtail possum. Our boxes have been used by squirrel gliders, possums, galahs and pale headed rosellas.

As I was without nursing duties on Thursday I went to Brisbane Craft and Quilt Fair - a first for me. Again I was overwhelmed by the talent of so many people, not to mention the range of products available at the various stalls. I only bought a few small things but will attend next year (if it fits into my busy schedule) now that I have an idea of the nature of the Fair.

I stayed overnight in Brisbane with our daughters and was able to give lots of helpful gardening advice and assistance. I'm actually delighted that one daughter has developed an interest in gardening: roses in particular which are not quite my style but she obviously gets the same buzz as I do when a plant responds to care and bursts into flower!

Since my last blog we have been away on a couple of short camping trips. It's such a nice time of year; pleasant temperatures and no school holiday crowds. We had a lovely time at Cressbrook Dam once I forgot what it used to look like when it was full. We saw dozens of deer at dawn, were entertained by boxing kangaroos at dusk and visited by paddy melons when we sat outside with drinks in the evenings. The wildlife is an important part of my camping experiences!

On one of these trips I read Christopher Koch's "The Memory Room" which I really enjoyed. That's another thing I enjoy about camping; I can sit and read for hours at a time.

I've also made some progress with my patchwork and quilting and have actually done some hand quilting. I am now going to make another table runner as I have decided they are a manageable sized project for me, something that I use, and provide plenty of "learning opportunities" which assist with confidence building.

Spring!

My tomatoes are planted, my ponds are clean and lots of plants have been repotted! I have happy fish, croaking frogs, baby galahs, a baby possum and feeding magpies.

I've been busy this week trying to get things done before Ross has an arthroscopy on his knee tomorrow. He has been quite grumpy; partly due to the pain and reduced mobility and partly because I've been requesting help for jobs that have to be done at this time of year. (And now he is complaining about backache too! The joys of ageing!)

Previously we spent nearly a week with my sister in Airlie Beach and on their boat in the Whitsundays. How lucky are we to be able to spend time in that magical part of the world!?! We saw lots of dolphins which always adds to the magic for me and as the ocean was calm it was wonderful to fall asleep at night listening to the gentle lap of the waves.

I was home in time to attend the opening of the Toowoomba Quilters' Club exhibition on Saturday. What an inspiring occasion - but also somewhat intimidating for such a beginner patchwork/quilter. I'm surprised at how much my tastes have changed over the past year; possibly because I have a much better of idea of what is actually involved in producing the different types of finished quilts.

I didn't make it to the Carnival of Flowers parade this year and neither have I visited any of the gardens, despite having good intentions.

Nambucca Heads

We've just returned from a trip to yet another beautiful place: Nambucca Heads in NSW. We are lucky to have so many of these beautiful estuaries along the east coast of Australia. The bird life here was impressive too.

The fishermen were disappointed with their catches but we did have a lovely view from our cabin. (They didn't regard that as compensation!) I want to share one of my dawn photos.

I did a little bit of work on my crazy patches - but nothing as meaningful as Di's work. I also did a fair bit of reading and walking - by myself because of Ross' bung knee! We see the specialist on Wednesday and we're hopeful that another arthroscopy will fix his problem.

There's nothing like a deadline for motivation! I finished another contract job before we went away. These small jobs are good for my brain - and enable me to indulge myself occasionally.

Spring is here - my favourite time of year! I've dug over and spread manure on a section of my old vegetable garden with the intention of growing a few things this summer. We are totally reliant on our rainwater tanks but I do not anticipate any problems. Since our daughters have left home the tanks have overflowed regularly when it has rained. I've also planted a small pot of pansies - so I am being extravagant with our water!

Back on Deck

I've just spent a couple of days in bed with a virus/cold thing. I was extravagantly kind to myself and reflected that in a previous life I would have drugged up and dragged myself off to work! Obviously I'm getting soft!

However, that is no excuse for my not blogging for ages. I know I've had trouble getting my fair share of access time to the computer in recent weeks. Well, personal time - I've learned a lot more than I intended about MYOB as my husband deviously involved me in the end of financial year work he was meant to do.

We did have a wonderful and unique trip to the Northern Territory, spending most of our time at Daly River. It's a beautiful spot - completely wasted on the many crocodiles that frequent it. This causeway near the Daly River pub was 4 metres under water during the last wet season and during the dry season it is favoured by sizeable crocs that wish to sun themselves.

This is a photo of our friend and neighbour with one of the barramundi caught last month. (My husband is shy!) We froze a few fillets to bring home with us.

We met some interesting people including some dental technicians who do the rounds of the indigenous communities helping the children to look after their teeth. They were a good source of information about the dynamics of the communities in that area and certainly prompted me to read a bit about the "NT Intervention" which has now been in place for just over a year. (The "Crikey" website is worth reading.)

Since we've been home I have caught up with friends and family, including some of the wonderful people at Toowoomba Quilters. I've also been to the Empire Theatre (Toowoomba) to see the Queensland Ballet's performance of "Carmen" which was simply wonderful and another example of Francois Klaus' brilliant choreography. Our daughters took me to see the "So You think You Can Dance" concert and my husband took me to see "Shine A Light" in Brisbane. (I'm a Stones fan from way back!)

Plans for the coming months are under discussion and now that I am no longer "unwell" I feel a lot more enthusiastic. A return to yoga classes and gym sessions is required!

Lost week

I'm not sure what happened to the past week! Mostly I have lists of things that didn't get done and places I didn't get to! (They include my yoga class, gym and Toowoomba Quilters.)

I did, however, get a bus to Brisbane to see our daughters before we go away again. A $10 bus fare (one way) makes it not worth driving and their devoted father didn't need to see them because he "can remember what they look like!"

Wasn't the rain wonderful! We had a total of 62mls and our tanks are overflowing - it's especially good when you are totally reliant on rain water. Hopefully, this area will be nice and green when I get back from Darwin.

We fly out from Brisbane on Friday and will be staying in a fairly remote part of the NT. I have several novels to take with me and I will be back to sewing hexagons again while we are away because I haven't progressed any other projects to an appropriate hand sewing level.

Back from NZ

Back home to my Spartan lifestyle (for a short time anyway) to compensate for the extravagances and indulgences of my trip to New Zealand. I had a wonderful time and again extol the virtues of New Zealand as a holiday destination. I hadn't been to Queenstown for decades and it it a beautiful place although changing quickly, I'm told, as it attracts increasing numbers of international tourists.

My niece's wedding was beautiful and a delightfully extravagant affair. (She was heard to say "Just because Mum and Aunty Ruth had hippie weddings doesn't mean I had to !") I was sorry that our daughters were unable to attend the wedding but it may have been a good thing; the bar was set high! I can share the view from the hotel room and the delights of the autumn leaves on the balcony.

Back in Christchurch we enjoyed some old favourites: a visit to the Botanic Gardens (I'd never been there at this time of year) and a walk in Victoria Park. Lunch at the restaurant in the Gardens is highly recommended! As usual my sister also produced some wonderful culinary delights.


The weather was great while we were there: cold, but clear and sunny. We were lucky because it clouded over on the day we left and was actually raining as we flew out of Christchurch.