I'M UNDER SIEGE!!

IT MUST BE THE TIME OF YEAR   Everything seems to be on the move. Not only the snake but a fox!  A young healthy fox was lounging on the lawn the other day and only looked at me and strolled away when i yelled and waved my arms at it.  Next day i saw it bounding across the lawn towards the birdbath, luckily the little honeyeaters took off fast. But it appeared again a day later so now i'm about to head off and pick up a cat cage, friend bob says he 'deal with it' when it's caught.

it seems so unfair that stupid colonists brought these beautiful animals out here where they wreak havoc on our wildlife.

Then yesterday i was heading out the back door with an armload of newspapers and bottles for the bin, and almost stood on a brown snake slithering past.   stuff went everywhere and i screamed and froze with my leg in the air, an accident waiting to happen. luckily i didn't miss the step and the snake took off under the house.

these are the little fellas that are at risk and i found a few feathers this morning. 

a new arrival in the garden - i've identified it as a striped honeyeater and it has a beautifully chirruppy song

funny how this little birdhouse hung

here for eight years before the little

wren family discovered it. now a lot

of other birds find it fascinating, this

one is a white plumed honeyeater

the echidna is out and about too, 

i've seen him twice this week

Beautiful moons this week

MY  PAVING is about to start, the pathway is ready and i've been cleaning bricks today.  i have a great pile that bob has collected around the property.  The weather is gorgeous, warm autumn days so perfect for sitting outside mindlessly chipping and scrubbing.

A SATISFYING DAY

I DISCOVERED A PICK!   over the years i've discovered quite a few old tools lying around the property, three spades (one ex-council), a wonderful old pitchfork discovered on top of the old shed when it was pulled down,  and a pick.  I've never used a pick and have found it a godsend in digging the pathway through the new circular garden. i'm going to pave it in a mixture of plain and mosaiced terracotta pavers and bricks.

YESTERDAY while photographing the wrens through the kitchen window, an unwelcome visitor appeared from the woodpile and proceeded to wind himself up into the potted frangipani

FINISHED!

 THE BIRDBATH - finished and installed, i love it.  i'll have to rotate it from time to time, each side is lovely to look at. 

i see it from the couch and already the birds approve. 

MORE MOSAIC

 MOSAIC is such a relaxing thing to do, it's spread out all over the place under cover outside the back door, on the laundry bench, on the ground, on the verandah table. 

hammers, broken china, my mallet, gloves, tools, brushes.  i just stop when i feel like it and do a bit.   After a week i'm grouting the birdbath base and have just done a seventh paver for the new garden in the circular drive.

CHOOSING  a cup and saucer for morning coffee is a daily pleasure. in the last couple of weeks i've bought three lovely old cups and saucers in the op shop

MADLY MOSAICING

IT'S HOT THIS WEEK - mid 30's during the day but mornings are lovely, so i'm shovelling dirt or walking early, then a bit of mosaicing before it gets too hot out on the verandah.  Inside i'm working on illustration work, it's been frustrating so there's nothing better than wandering outside and smashing a few plates with my trusty mallet.

This is the base of a birdbath, mirror down low so the wrens
and willy wagtails can play with their reflections :0)

VALENTINE'S DAY AND LOCKDOWN

 SUDDENLY on friday the vic government imposed a 5 day statewide severe lockdown due to the new British variant of Covid.  so all the business that restaurants, florists, weekenders etc would have had is gone in a flash.  I feel so sorry for so many people but it's necessary. I hope it doesn't extend, i'm not sure if i can still go to my hospital appointment. probably i can with a permit.  boy life has sure changed a lot in 12 months.   nothing can really be planned.

Life goes on here much as usual but this week has been exciting because i now have my new driveway.  two days of work and it's done, right up to the front gate.

The bungalow was demolished in october

the shed was taken down and clothesline moved in january

geoff went to work with the bobcat and roller and now i have a new garden area in the middle to sort out.  i'm laying some pavers thru the middle leading to the studio

i've mosaiced some pavers and

also have some plain ones

MARA'S birthday present is on its way - nearly  3 weeks to get to to
Tokyo, i wonder if it will get there on time

Plenty going on in the garden

a beautiful white faced heron - one of a pair that has been around now for a couple of weeks

A young grey shrike thrush - it was singing so beautifully outside the kitchen window

I'm not drinking

during the week

so the weekend

glass of wine

is a treat

the view from my chair -  the darter

WORKING on the book every day

   Roughs, working out each spread

A surprise visitor  it's been a long time since i've seen the echidna despite evidence of him relentlessly digging deep holes in the lawn.  He's as cute as ever

 

knitting knitting knitting

I'VE NEVER KNITTED SO MUCH in my life - since covid and lockdown i've knitted so many things, now i'm knitting traditional Shetland beanies for sayaka and mara, lovely four ply merino on small set of 4 needles.   nearly finished, just a bit more razzamatazz to go on mara's, probably earflaps with black plaits and a pompom on top

BIG TED is going off to Tokyo for Mara's birthday, so i've knitted him a scarf too.   It's snowed in Tokyo over the past 24 hours and they crossing their fingers for more.  just enough for a snowball so far.