Under surveillance

It's been going on for several weeks now.

They arrive each morning at breakfast and observe us from afar.

We think they're trying to determine whether or not it's worth extending their territorial boundaries.

Then when they've seen enough, they let forth with a raucous warble.

We couldn't be happier about sharing our eight acres with them.

Prior to this, there's only ever been one fleeting sighting of them here in the entire time we've been here. Twenty four years now.

We've always been somewhat disappointed about that. Well, not any more it seems.

This gorgeous creature from the bird world has now taken its place on Bill's bird list......#74

I bought this book many years ago. 

This much loved king of the bush is truly one of our nation's most recognised symbols and we really hope that they decide to stay.

These noisy guys are trying to take over the backyard too but we keep shooing them into the horse paddocks ( Bill does the shoo- ing. I just let them be).

The winter garden has been under attack during the week.

Bill has been pruning the roses and has surprised even himself with how quickly he's been able to get through them all.

He has a system ( of course he does, I hear you say) which includes cutting the prunings into smaller pieces! I couldn't be bothered with that. When it's cut, it's cut!

On the other hand, I have barely poked my nose out there to do gardening jobs.

Picking bits and pieces for my farmshop is as much as I can do in the wind and cold.

I do however, venture out to get down on my haunches and peer closely at the channels in the Ruby Garden to see whether the seeds have germinated ( although come to think of it, I'm not sure how anything would germinate in this weather).

Billy Button seedlings are still there but not a Blue Lace flower to be seen. 

I still love looking every other day though no matter the weather.

Late afternoon light in the backyard.

Hellebores are not bothered at all by the cold and frost and are beginning to flower.

I really expected a mass display this year but so far that's not happening.

I wonder whether it's too shaded and damp where they are now.

Very happy to find this one though. I think it might be " dark pink", but I'll need to check the list when the others come into bloom.

Protea Pink Ice

And a new lilium to add to the collection. 

This one was bought already flowering. Four stems.  On the other hand, there's been no sign of any growth whatsoever in the hundreds of bulbs I recently planted. 

Op shop purchases.

The dilly bag was $5 and the book was $4.

Our littlies....

Sew and sew

Farmers Wife Quilt is being hand quilted.....a bit each day.

And the French General Quilt is ready to be sewn together. 

144 blocks ( a bit less than I thought). That's 576 triangles sewn on to each corner one at a time. Sounds like an enormous task when I say it like that.

I could keep rearranging these 'til the cows come home to try to keep patterns/ colours well scattered but this arrangement will be fine.

Thinking about......

How to put these blocks together.

I've only completed 47 out of 100 but I'm already looking at the possibilities. Maybe 64 blocks will be enough. Eight by eight.

We watched the rescue of the twelve young soccer boys and their coach from the flooded cave in Thailand with our hearts in our mouths.

It was simply extraordinary. The human spirit never ceases to astonish me.

 I am looking forward to.....

# Collecting a reserved library book about growing Australian native plants indoors.

# Picking branches of glorious golden wattle to pretty up my farmshop.

# Seeing Sam again after his trip to Perth.

# Smelling the perfume of daphne in the garden......so many buds, but none of them have opened yet.

# Trying out Helen's recently purchased wizz bang card cutter to see if I can make more of these....

# Playing with some 1930's fabric from my stash to see what I can do with it.

# Going to the Quilt show in Melbourne with Jo next week.

Have a great week everyone.