DATE CHECK

FREAK OUT

this lovely little moth was out on the lawn, dead.   very pretty

Today i've been up and down like a yo yo -  i woke up anxious, i'm sure this'll happen for a while
until i know what to expect living here.  i have a fridge which is getting warmer, a dishwasher that's
decided not to work, a leaky washing machine,  and today i spent two hours on chat with telstra
trying to get into their online account site so i could get an idea of my usage and costs so far.
also a long time on the phone trying to get sorted with a one year contract for my electricity,
that's different to victoria, here you sign up on an annual basis.    then, because this property is
on two titles, it has two power services  -    A  and B  - and they want to know which one is the house. so an afternoon later, and a visit from former owner wendy, and finally i know that.  I'm completely buggered -  it's also hot and very windy and dry, that doesn't help.
had a bit of a chat about the watering with wendy though and that reassured me,  she lets it get quite
dry in summer (the grass) and says the pump costs hardly anything.  so i'll concentrate on watering
the things i really want to nurture, like my lime, lemon and golden delicious apple

BIRD OF THE DAY

A Nankeen night heron - a few of them are appearing the last couple of weeks, he's on the fallen trees at the river bank

FIRST FISH OUT OF THE RIVER

MONDAY october 29

bevan proudly showing off his catch before returning it to the river - it was lovely just sitting down on the water's edge watching the birds gradually disappearing for

 the night

there's a small beachy

area at the bottom of the bank on each side of the tangled mass of fallen trees that provide so many birds with their perches during the day - right where they can keep an eye on the fishing.  they're pretty quick off the mark if there are any scraps being thrown back in the water.

beautiful sunset and a brilliant

full moon

STUMPY and friends

two big stumpy tailed lizards were  roaming around the house today, then a third one appeared out the front, it's been very warm and they're getting quite animated.  also saw the end of a snake slithering into a bush -

 i must remember not to get distracted in the garden as i do, when i wander out to inspect things and realise i'm wearing thongs or sandals

while bevan was fishing janet

and i noticed this lovely lacy

little nest in this long overhanging

branch.

then the nesting bird arrived

and settled

in - i think it's a blue-faced

honeyeater

BUSY DAY

Monday october 29

fantastic dinner on julie and kev's houseboat - if we'd seen the size of the steaks before
we got there, we would never have had a sausage in bread at bunnings earlier.
last night was a perfect night on the river, the water was like glass and the moon is
almost full

there was a classic kick to kick before dinner - highly skilled

the star of the match

 

    Where is that ball?

then the steaks arrived   HUMUNGOUS!!

what a night . . .

                                  so beautiful  -  a great night, great company

i've just realised that there are comments on my blog - never knew where to find them - thanks everyone.

i'm not sure why but this blog puts the previous day's date on each post - maybe it's set to US time, i wonder if i can change it - a challenge,   does anyone know??

Bad hair day

Janet and bevan are here - we drove out here via the confluence of the murray and darling rivers - it's six months now since i first saw the house for sale after sunny decided she like to visit the murray/darling junction.

   janet and bevan at the confluence, darling on the left, murray on the right

we walked down to the pub for a beer or two and left the chicken in the oven just a little too long - edible but not great :0/     and too much wine

BIRD OF THE DAY

white plumed honeyeater

- they really like my 

hubcap birdbath

HOW GOOD IS THIS??

friday oct 26    

the beginning of the circular drive   - eucalyptus leucoxylon rosea and some nasturtiums,  irises to come and i think a border of bricks, so people don't accidentally drive over it

 

AH!  washing flapping happily on the line - it's been eleven years since i've enjoyed that.   richard  stubbs would approve.

my sheets have been draped over doors, clothes strewn over couches and chairs - it's lovely to walk out and see it all

dancing in the breeze.  

 . . .  small things   :0)

i slept in the lounge room last night on gail's recommendation, i've left the sofa set up as a bed and it looks out two walls of windows to the river, as i look ahead the sun is absolute diamonds on the water, it's a cool morning and perfect to do some watering,  after discovering the wonderful native plant nursery in mildura.

i bought three weeping acacias, they look like a willow but more greyish and perfect for a screen down on the fenceline where people come to fish.

i bought a lovely eucalyptus leucoxylon rosea,  also an elegant drooping growth habit, for the centre of the circular drive. i'm going to dig up some of the irises and transplant them there - and three fuschia gums, my favorites, to plant as a small group somewhere.

went to bunnings and bought secateurs, gardening spade (a little pointy one) small fork, large fork, weeder, more hose fittings, buckets, hose, reels, god i realised i only had gardening gloves, boots and a pair of snips :0)

ah, this photo reminds me of the days when i was art directing photo shoots for the Target father's day catalogue  :0)

i still feel really unsettled,  but it's more to do with this time of year when there's no income  (the joys of self employment) , i always feel anxious when i'm drawing money out and not putting it back in.  had a look in at the art vault yesterday to say hi and have a look at the black room where my april exhibition will be.  i think i'll  do a row of horizontal format drawings of the river to run straight around the room.

 just had a text from janet and bevan, they'll be here tomorrow for a few days, it'll be great to have them - maybe bevan can put my new garden trolley together for me   ;-)   

my new trees - the native nursery is great, and cheap

OCTOBER 25
it's gone all grey and windy and dirty - i'm heading into mildura to get some hose fittings, visit the art vault and make a day for my  big barbie, (a housewarming) -  have to make sure julie and kev can be there. had a nice dinner with them and peter lancaster, eliza (ex print workshop) and artist in residence, steph.

life drawing starts on monday afternoon, and julie's having a bbq at her place on sunday.  i feel like life is starting - even though the washing machine is leaking and the dishwasher has decided not to work, don't know why.  sigh.

i think it's time to organise a water man and an electrician out for a look and some advice.

ANIMAL LIFE

OCTOBER 25







this little fella gave me a fright when i lifted the door of the pump electricity plug and here was a sweet little frog sitting on it.  very cute though and unperturbed.



below -  poor old stumpy tail i found on the lawn, he's on
his last legs i think, i got home late so couldn't check how he
is

i did the bunnings run today,  loaded up the car with garden tools, hose, visited

\

the water dynamics shop for more water  advice and finally found the native

 plant nursery, where i went to town  :0)  and met this gorgeous  kangaroo

BIRD OF THE DAY

PIED CORMORANT  early this morning

PURE GOLD

thursday october 25

The sun came up bright gold this morning, i had to leap out of bed with the camera.
early mornings will be a must for me again, after a stressed out year of sleeping
in and trying to gather my energy.
it's lovely and cool early, pretty warm during the day.
at dinner in mildura with the art vault crew last night, i was told the dirty sky
yesterday was due to dust, not uncommon up here, coming down with the northerly
wind.

driving home last night, coming past the loch four houses from my place

A WALK  around the garden at 6.30, today i'm heading in to Water Dynamics, to find
out more about efficient watering of the block.  i"ll have a look at the current
exhibition at the art vault www.theartvault.com.au

ok, this one was
yesterday












sunrise over loch 10

the sun has moved around a lot

since i first moved, just five

weeks ago.   lovely as it

shines through the

bamboo on the river bank

A TURN ABOUT THE GROUNDS

IT'S a funny day today, feels like there are fires somewhere because the sky is that strange brown, the sun can't quite get through.  

lots of birds on the river, and the irises and lilies are spectacular,  hardy too i think, because everything's pretty dry.

there are masses of these lilies
in clumps all over the block

the irises are lovely, i'll move a lot of them closer to the house, they seem to be around the fenceline, too far away

these hippeastrums are also growing

in huge numbers, the red ones are spectacular -

a pity i think they'll be finished

before christmas, they're perfect 

decorations

I've been busy today trying to sort out the house, finding the right place for things, setting up the studio -  suddenly up the drive in a cloud of dust a courier arrived with my new phone - it's so cool -  a retro design complete with old fashioned dial sounds as you press in the number. the handset is the cordless phone, inbuilt answering service, retro ringtone too.

check it out

WHAT BIRD IS THIS MK ??

I did three editions of prints at point lonsdale last week, here are the last two in my 50'ss' swimwear series

floral goddess

WATER WATER WATER

OCTOBER 23   tuesday

it's that strange time after a great holiday - coming down.   looking around and seeing what has to be done.  mostly watering,  but at what cost?    i won't know till i get a bill, i'm not sure how much power the pump is using getting the river water onto the garden.
i'm sorting out the house, it's pretty good but things need to be put in their permanent places,  and at lunchtime suddenly i had no water in the taps - a call to the council and their water guy came out to let me know they're flushing the mains,  but unlike melbourne, he stayed, chatted and wandered around the front with me, helping me to find outlets of the watering system that had become buried under dirt and leaves.  little by little i'm discovering the full setup.

a good thing -  i thought the egret had gone but he reappeared tonight, a beautiful night on the river as the sun moves around and is setting closer and closer to the water,

by christmas i'll have sunrise and sunset directly over the water.  

a beautiful time of night, still, serene

how gorgeous is this,  from the front of the house