Thursday, 9 February 2017

It's all about the dogs

Toby and Trip are here on holidays.
It's been ages since they've been here, but nothing has changed.
 

 

 

I am under constant scrutiny.
They are beside me all day.
Helen says it's because they love me.
Amy says it's because I'm soft.
It seems as though I have become the feeder of said pups ( I have no idea how that came about ) and they may sometimes get more than they should to be honest. They know precisely where the food is kept and precisely what time to start reminding me that it's time to be fed. 

Trip is practising 'sleeping on the edge'. 

Bill has been forced into making serious adjustments to the barricade.
The orange 'fence' did the trick for a while but there has been a breakout and we've needed to reassess. Mind you the weak link was the tiniest of spots that no one would have even noticed. 
But Toby found it and just followed his nose. 
Trip came in to tell us that Tobes had escaped!
So we've gone from this.....
 

.......to this.
 

Toby has been on rabbit watch ever since he arrived. 
Arrrghhhh! 
He keeps on thinking there might be another one in there somewhere.
 
He has knocked the sedum stems to the ground and has started digging his way to China.
It's a good thing it grows so easily.
 

And there's a blue tongue lizard that's been residing happily under Bertie's shed......until now. He's probably been scared out of his wits. We've made some temporary structures up there too.
 

 

Toby is a Jack Russell. It's what Jack Russells do.

Trip just observes. 

We had the weirdest cloud formations a few nights ago.
It rolled in like smoke.
 


 

And the following day resulted in 25mm of rain.
Today is the complete opposite. 
Very windy and expecting high thirties.
It was on this day three years ago that we had The Fire.
 A day just like this.....
 
 We will be on fire alert today just like we were back then.

Amy has gone to work today but left her fire pile on the table for us to take if necessary. 
She's got the technology side of  things covered. 
And Ted.
 

And on the other side of the continent, Sam and Kiann had 209mm yesterday and last night in Dampier/Karratha. I can't even imagine that much rain.
Archer .......darling boy.
 

Flynn telling Grandpa about the new bunks in his room. 
He'll be able to climb down and sing a song to Archer apparently. Arch is not sleeping in there just yet but it'll be all set to go when baby girl White arrives.
 

Flynn is off to pre- school this year.....
 

He's been practising his football skills for the weekend.
The Dampier Sharks are holding a football game fundraiser for Kiann's brother, Angus. He is 15. He was injured in a motorbike accident in early January while swerving to miss a kangaroo and has been in hospital in Perth ever since. He has a long road to recovery ahead and will require rehabilitation. Angus played football for the Dampier Sharks.
A go fund me page has been set up to raise $30,000. So far there has been $23,000 donated. A truly amazing effort for this beautiful young man and his family.
 

The 200mms of rain will make their game action packed I suspect. It may end up being played in bare feet.
Flynn can't wait.
 

Jacqui turned thirty.
I made her a pillow/cushion. 
She loves yoga and animals.
 

Amy and Helen dressed for the celebrations.
 

Around the garden path yesterday. 
Dahlias and roses.
 

Fat spears of white belladonna bulbs just starting to poke their noses up.




The mystery plant....no idea. Probably a weed but I'm waiting to see what it does. There's a few of them in the vegie patch. Could be a veg we've forgotten about. 


 A few days ago, this happened while we all just stood and watched in disbelief!


Roses from a week ago still looking pretty.
 

Hope you're keeping cool today everyone.
All is calm here as we speak.
 

I was sitting over there too.
In the middle of them.
I was there first!

 
 

 
 



 



Tuesday, 31 January 2017

They just wanted vegies

So that's what we gave them.
At 11.15pm.
The adventurers from India and Nepal were back and we would have cooked anything for them.
 

We have hardly seen them since then!
Except for a quick trip to the Garden of St Erth in Blackwood on Saturday afternoon.
So much to love about this place....
 

 

A lovely place to go to be inspired. 
It's soul food for me.....

 

 

Not to mention the delicious food at the cafe there.

And their mantelpiece arrangements.
Vegies in a vase!
 



 

Around the garden path at Frogpond farm.

Another super sized sunflower spectacle.


Zucchini flowers still flowering. 
 
 

The birds have found the crabapples too.....we have five different varieties here. They are such tough little trees and produce the most beautiful fruit.



A peek through the white netting over the fig tree.....

 


I have told Bill that we're not leaving this place until the feijoa trees become a hedge around the orchard.....

 


Safe to say that won't be for a while.....




Bill decided we needed an extra bay in the compost department ( probably just wanted to build something )......there's always something that pops up in the compost pile that just seems to take on a life of its own. Not even sure what this is yet. Pumpkin? Cucumber? Gourd? Rockmelon? Watermelon?

 

Repairs to our grassed area under the trees.
 Some digging up of roots and rocks, a layer of soil and some fresh lawn seed. 
There will be no bird seed pecking or rabbit burrowing with this lot!

 

There was a story to tell during FaceTime.
It involved connecting power to the robot so that it could be turned off for the night.

 
 


 

We celebrated Bill Snr's birthday in Geelong at the weekend.
He turned 89.
 
The family photo at Sue's place.


Right then, now we're ready! 







 

This time last week.
An early morning flight over Mount Everest.

A few days later... 
Back in Australia and off to a party.
 Their feet haven't hit the ground yet.

 

But now it's back to work.
Have a wonderful week everyone.