A WEEK AWAY

AUCTION IS OVER, house was passed in and is now on the open market.  A disappointing result and anti climax - the whole online auction was a bit of a non event.

I'm just back from a week of housesitting in torquay, looking at properties on the peninsula and familiarising myself with different areas.  It was unsatisfying because i can't really make an offer on anything until i sell mine.   i'll take it off the market after a few more weeks if there's no real offer and enjoy being here in cooler weather.  I'm going to clean up the studio and start some bird prints. I'll get a new agent later in the year and put the house back on the market in spring if it hasn't sold

A carefully transported 

vanilla slice from the

Birchip Bakery - a fine

dessert on arrival at Gail's

The great thing about torquay was that sunny luke and etta came down for two nights and three days. the weather was just right for the beach and etta, who hasn't been often due to lockdowns, has really taken to the water and discovered the beauty of muddy sand pies :0)

BACK HOME NOW and there are interesting birds around partly due to the fact that the pelicans have disappeared the past few weeks, probably heading to the large flow of water into Lake Menindi and Lake Eyre.  A white necked heron has appeared, a large one i haven't been able to photograph yet.  but yesterday this young one was down on the pylons at Lock 10 so there must be a family.  The swans are enjoying thick duckweed that is growing near the junction and the white faced heron has been down there instead of on the fallen trees at my place.

  beautiful skies last night

TODAY'S THE DAY!!

 IT'S BEEN FOUR WEEKS of keeping the house immaculate, getting the lawnmower guys in to tidy up each friday before open days, chasing frogs that get in  or throwing out the dead ones that didn't make it through the night (dehydrated) and generally wondering what will happen with the sale of the house.

Today is D day, all bids need to be in between 5-6 pm and i'll be sitting here with agent michael watching the online action.   It could go anywhere.  I'm feeling philosophical, if it sells i'll be busy shopping for a house down south, if it doesn't i'll stay here and travel down more often.  Either way is good, although i do want to see more of sunny and etta than i have been.  Covid hasn't helped in the past as Etta was born two months into lockdown. Now travel is freed up and borders are all open.

What a difference 

a year makes. 

here's etta last 

march and here 

she is just 

recently.

In the meantime i'm packing for a week down south at Gail's, putting in knitting, sketchbooks and paints and i'll be having a good look around at properties.

Weather looks nice, although it'll still be very warm here so I hope the garden survives.  if anything dies, good riddance 

My favorite sculpture, Captain John Egge on the Wentworth Wharf done by my friend Marg's sister Lynne Edey, a fabulous sculptor who lives and works in Castlemaine.

whistling kites down on the fallen trees

I did a flying trip down to geelong last week, drove all day friday to have a look at a house in clifton springs that jenny, susan and gail had checked out for me the day before.   I thought there was too much i would want to do to a house not in indented head, st. leonards or any town with a beachy feel.  Good to see though and to check out that area.  i had a good nights sleep at susan's and she cooked the most delicious moroccan chicken.   then a day's drive up to the Royal at Sea Lake before driving home by 11 next morning.   totally stuffed!  but not a wasted trip at all.

always a fabulous cloud show on the Sunraysia Highway, and clouds of corellas as well

I spent yesterday morning watching two white faced herons doing what must have been a mating ritual down at the lock.  they faced each other a distance apart, heads thrown back and walked hesitantly towards each other a few steps, then back to a distance again.  once they twirled up into the sky in a flurry of wings then back to the ritual walking again.