A WEEK OF WORK

PAINTING PAINTING and having trouble.  not quite working, needs something . . .
also getting ready for my airbnb guests who arrive today, having christmas here and suffering temperatures in the 40's if they stay the full week they've booked.   i'm letting them go early with a refund if they need it,  with a 4 mth old baby it could be pretty tough :0(

A wonderful week of decorating and watching birds in the birdbaths.  also a full moon to top it all off :0)

a quiet christmas day for me. i've caught up with everyone, phone calls with men friends, lunch with martin, phone calls with sunny and rene, saw everyone in geelong and torquay so i'm just being here at christmas, eating all my favorite things and hoping my guests enjoy their day.

 the fabulous darter

it's been a week
of nice weather -
no more rain
but no wind
either

 little friarbird

 working
on another
botanical
illustration
for fossey's
gin labels
- this one's
old man
saltbush

 the sacred
kingfishers have
a young one
and i can hear
them all day
long

peaceful dove, such a pretty little bird

 new lights for christmas

A CRAZY WEEK OF WEATHER

boy!! we've had huge windy scary duststorms then windy scary rainstorms, i've lost the top of a large tree, thankfully up the front and not near the house.  but then it turned into three days of divine light and steady rain, on an off throughout the day.  during which time i had intended to tidy up the yard for my bbq on saturday.  well that all had to done on the one dry day, i was really bushed by the time everyone got here at 4.  but it was delightful  - tables out on the lawn, people in groups in warm breezy sunshine.   just perfect :0)

    there are all kinds of birds that have nested and now have young
    ones.  i can hear all their new calls around the house and watch
    them learning to fly.

                   decoration time :0)

THE BIG SMOKE

I LEFT ON THE 4th for a trip down south for various xmas catchups.  i don't have many pics - for some reason i seem to be leaving my camera at home for social things, just a few photos of the trip up and down.

 the morning i was leaving
this was what i saw from
the loungeroom window
as i opened the
curtains

travelling down . . .  i love these shimmering horizons on the way

 at the grampians, masses of corellas, clouds of them

    a lovely dinner with don and jen and art and a walk in the        morning to lake lonsdale

 on the way back

travelling on to melbourne - clouds like angels sweeping in for christmas  :0)

Had a good catchup with publishing buddies at Allen&Unwin xmas party, stayed with vicki for a quieter time (welcome) then down to geelong to see susan and jenny for lunch - a lovely time on the bay and cancelled xmas party at APW - too much travel, a horrible dusty hot day and fires at little river - i was so grateful to stay and have a lovely lay day and a swim at torquay with gail and her family - just delightful.  then denise's xmas bash on saturday.  the boys got out of hand  :-O

home now after a long day on the road but time to stop at lake hawthorne to watch the red necked avocets feeding - i'm very happy to be back, love a trip to the city but love being home more :0)