MORNING WALK

LAST WEDNESDAY after the rain, the track from the golf course.  obviously the ducks are having a lovely time

BILL'S SHOP

not many doors around like this. classy, complete with spelling mistake

SATURDAY ALREADY!

FINISHED THE ARTWORK, got an extension of the deadline on my next book - it was feeling stressful, now it's fine :0)
Spent a whole day thursday getting food ready for a weekend away up at Ned's Corner then woke up yesterday feeling awful so i'm here at home, not so bad today but an achy back - just some bug i've picked up i guess.   will do some gardening.

so. . . i dropped off the artwork at the framers and as i came out, a flock of these wonderful Major Mitchell's cockatoos flew into a large pine tree, then down onto the ground to eat the pinecones.  they were hilarious, walking around proudly with pinecones in their beaks.  I've never seen them before, their crests are crazy.  very funny beautiful birds.

WHAT A NIGHT!

I SLEPT IN THE AIRBNB room last night because i couldn't be bothered making up my own stripped bed.  too tired - i was awakened by super heavy rain at 2.30, then a friendly mozzie decided to divebomb me until i got up and despatched him ):0(

couldn't sleep so i sat up and played words with friends on the laptop for a while, hoping to get tired. but no, sleep was again to escape me with the arrival of a mouse in the room.   grrrrr  
the alarm was set for 5.15 so i could photograph the dawn service at the request of our local paper, the Standard.    so i set a trap and came back into my room to make up the bed at 3.50    {:-{

got some pics, some ok but i was disappointed that the bugle was just a recording 

just as the wreath was about to be laid a man collapsed in front of me, he really hit the road hard. but police and other helpers had him looked after straight away.  he wasn't old either, not sure what really happened there.

it is now 8.15am, it feels like the middle of the night and i'm hoping to catch a bit of sleep before i get up, what are the chances?

MAKERS

HAD A MEETING with council tonight, with the makers committee. we met in the new council offices in the wentworth club building. it feels good - the move of council and the visitors centre in there and subsequent changes and thinking about the town and its future will bring new things, good things i'm sure. council's keen for our input.

 first pelican on the river right outside this morning

great to see a pelican back on the river

Also spent the day trying to bring dried up dehydrated frogs to life, had success with two out of three :0|

i've started knitting.

big big needles so

it's growing fast,

great color too :0)

finished the artwork
for more fossey's gin labels today, a productive day

TRYING TO WORK :0\

SATURDAY - fed coco and the cat next door, i'm looking after them for 3 weeks, the cat is still hiding under the bed, will it get used to me?  after the rain huge toadstools are popping up everywhere.
coco goes completely nuts every time i come through the gate, round and round the front yard turning so fast she's throwing up dirt and making divots in the lawn. funny dog :o)

    after the rain . . .

i had a wander

around next

door's riverbank

and saw my

house from a

whole new

perspective.

also spotted an

old concrete

trough that i

might see if i can

have for my

printmaking.

headed down to artback for coffee and ended up staying about 3
hours!  had to be back there at 3.30 for a makers meeting so my saturday kind of disappeared with only about an hour of artwork done :0(     better pull my finger out today, sunday. early
morning now

Jeanette Hope (local historian, nothing that woman doesn't know), rob biggs, friend and fellow camper on our group weekends, just met mark dugay-grist, archaeologist recently returned to live in mildura and jane mcallister, new councillor who's very involved and will be at our makers/ council meeting on monday night, looking at the future of the arts here in the region

THEY'RE BACK!

ON A MISTY PINK MORNING
after two days of drenching rain, i leapt out of bed to photograph five spoonbills perched on the fallen trees at the bottom of the yard.



got down there to find no memory card in the camera! grrr  and the spoonbills had gone.
but everything smelled so divine i grabbed the card and headed back out. the river is misty and there were two pelicans on the lock. i briefly saw them over easter but these two look like they're settling in :0)    lots of fish leaping out of the water too.

AFTER THE RAIN

IT'S BUCKETED DOWN all yesterday and this morning, 30mm of rain and everything is deliciously damp.  nice sunset too :0)

SPOONBILL VISITS

FIRST TIME i had a spoonbill over here on my side of the river, i've never really seen them close up before, i love the way the eye and beak make up the face

ALONE AGAIN

EVERYONE LEFT  by about 10 on monday, we had a lovely few days of not doing much but being together, sitting by the river, enjoying food and drink by firelight, walking, reading . . .  all in perfect autumn weather :0)

this little fella popped up in

the garden