AWFUL WEATHER

IT'S A HORRIBLE SUMMER - the fires in east gippsland, in fact all the way up the east coast of vic and nsw, are raging and people are being evacuated by the defence forces.  worse than anything i've ever seen and still going strong. the weather has been so hot and today is strange, only 19 expected but everything is so brown and dry and it's still windy.  i'm really tired this morning after an early night and lots of sleep.
the birds here raise my spirits and keeping things watered and birdbaths full is a mission - i had a large kangaroo in the yard (last week the mother and joey were back) so i have a wading pool under the trees with water in it. hope they use it, poor things. food must be scarce.

these beautiful young kookas like to sit for ages with their tails in the bird bath.  they're so sweet and fresh, i watched them for at least half an hour.  it's lovely having the birdbaths right outside the window.

A MID WEEK JOY  -  pics of Mara at her traditional ceremony, i was at Cal's two visits ago. it happens at a certain age, a day for girls and a separate one for boys

this is rene's friend
whose name i don't
know - he's a
professional
photographer and
always records
these events with
fabulous personal
pics

                       
                        Nature is strange, whilst devastating
                        the landscape so far away we're
                        having these amazing sunsets.  the
                        sun was actually red but the camera
                        simply can't pick it up

A trip to town past Lake Hawthorne, masses of red-necked avocet and black-winged stilts late in the day in beautiful light (also ironically provided by the fires, dust and heat)    I think some etchings could come from these

NEW YEAR

ANOTHER YEAR ON THE RIVER coming up.  Christmas in geelong was great and after a brief stay in Melbourne and dinner with friends at the Builders Arms i drove up to don's for a visit.  I left early next day because the temperature was expected to be 44.  and it was.

the trip home from the grampians was good, i'm glad i left at 6.15am. the sky was beautiful for a couple of hours, sun behind clouds so not too hot.  i was home by 11.30 and had skulled (sculled?) a whole large bottle of V8 on the way, a meal!

the house was so hot after days with no cooling and i had to sleep on the couch under the fan because it was the only cool room in the house.  even my large cooler couldn't get the temp below 29.   so yesterday i was just a vegetable all day and didn't even acknowledge new year's eve. 

now it's a new year and i'm on the wagon this month.  time to get back in 

condition for my trip to china in march.  and work in general.  here are a few pics from the trip and a lovely young kooka that sat with his tail in the birdbath for hours on that hot afternoon.

beautiful sunrise at Lake Lonsdale as i drove out of don's gate

from the sublime to the ridiculous, in the afternoon at home, searing 

temperatures and dust storms AGAIN!!

this sweet baby kooka keeping cool - look at 

that trusting little face  

HEADING HOME

IT'S BEEN A GOOD WEEK, i'm off to the grampians to see don after a few days of catching up with friends in geelong and melbourne.



Boxing day was lethargic, after drinking champagne all Christmas day we lay low, heading back to eastern beach for coffee and breakfast in the newly renovated kiosk and cafe. it's been done really well and seems like it should be a success.





I had a walk around the town to look at some favorite buildings to meet denise at the station, we trained it to melbourne and trammed out to st kilda for her family reunion at a restaurant on the beach.

The Zaettas and Civellis get-together at the West Beach Pavilion

Next morning i walked from denise's  down to the barwon at the breakwater, i sat down on a bench and looked up and right there was a willy wagtail nest with three chicks.  i stayed and watched for a while, a lovely start to the day.

CHRISTMAS WEEK

IT'S BEEN LOVELY to have normal weather, high 20's and comfortable.



a dawn serenade and a beautiful rainbow to start the trip down to geelong for christmas

a good trip down, staying in the pretty town of st.arnaud which has a main street of completely intact old shopfronts, verandahs still there and beautiful windows with tiled surrounds.  my accommodation was a motel room, very 70's, at the back of a lovely old hotel that is now a residence.

Next night was at Denise's empty house, perfect to prepare my food for christmas day at Susan's, where i am now on the day after boxing day.










On the way i stopped
to take a few pics
at the pretty Avoca
cemetery

i was excited

to photograph

this at a great

distance and

realised it was

a goldfinch, i 

haven't seen

one for 

decades

We had a lovely christmas, food was fab and susan and seans house was perfect for the day.

we walked down to eastern beach which was a real eye opener for me.  it's been completely restored and looks better than it ever has. there were literally thousands of people down there, huge families of islanders and muslims, indians and asians all set up with tents and bbq's, picnicking, playing soccer and volleyball, in the water.  the promenade was packed.  the ferris wheel is there for the summer and sunny, susan, jenny and i all had a ride,  terrific.

 susan and sean's neighbour across the road

boxing day was a write off for me, i was very tired and secondhand but we walked down to easter beach again and had breakfast at the newly opened re-renovated eastern beach kiosk cafe.  very nice and looks like it should take off.
now i'm at susan and seans, getting ready to travel up to melbourne with denise on the train to have lunch with her relatives.