Today would be my mum’s birthday. She loved flowers.
Here is a single flower from a Chinese lantern or Chinese Bell Flower (Abutilon). I have a small shrub I purchased. This flower is the first from a cutting that I grew. She’d like that. Thanks mum
It’s raining. All day. Rarely happens here.
Found Cee’s Photo Challenge blog and it kept me busy for the day. I’m new to all of this. I dusted off the old camera and had some fun. It’s a cyclamen that just happened to be on my kitchen table. It was dim, so I had to play around with lighting. Flowers are amazing up close.
This was a rather steep learning curve for me. I’ve dabbled in photography and made a few picture books, but I really haven’t done much with my camera except use the auto functions. I loved seeing pictures look good, but it’s usually just luck and persistance. Now I have time, I want to gain a better understanding of how it all works together. I’m trying to slow down and being a little more deliberate about my choices.
I also learnt to use Gimp to put a water mark on the photo. I have struggled to understand how to use Gimp. I was glad to read a review that said it wasn’t all that easy and not exactly intuitive, because I thought I was slipping! Layers have always been an alien concept. But I did it, even if I have to quietly admit that I have spent the best part of the last week trying to work out how to insert a copyright symbol! It’s actually quite simple, once you know how.
It’s a little late, but better late than never.
Usually, I’ve been at work when this job is done. This year, I was able to help. As well as the grapes, we had to prune back some of the trees. The vines are aging but still produce grapes. Maybe this year, we will be able to make some wine.
Two grandsons, aged 12 and 10. Six more weeks compulsory home schooling at home on the farm. Two questions. What lessons should they be learning? What lessons could they be learning? What a difference a few letters make.
The local school provides basic guidance in Literacy and Maths and provides worksheets and online exercises, but there is so much more that they learn by being at home on the farm. The oldest was up quite early, made himself breakfast and needed no help to complete all his work. It was heartening to watch the youngest sit himself at the computer, configure it so he could complete all the school requirements, personalise it so he was pleased with the appearance and get on with his work. He was organised and had his user names and passwords stored in his diary. He attacked his set work enthusiastically and had it all completed before lunch. He hopped on the treadmill and did a few kilometres also before lunch. After lunch they were free to follow their own interests. They have matured so much since Covid lockdowns began.
Hopefully, the boys will be able to learn lots of life lessons in self-sufficiency; everything from organisation, self reliance, cooking, planning, using machinery, practical maths, farming and especially gardening.
Meanwhile, I’ve got some other help. These young cattle have done an amazing job ‘mowing’ my lawn. They have the job of keeping the laneways in good shape. It certainly is much easier for me than using the mower.
30 posts into this blog, I’ve decided that I really enjoy it. I am enjoying sharing the environment where I live. It’s good to take the time to look around and appreciate where I live.
An unexpected bonus is that I also enjoy other people’s blogs. I love reading and comparing experiences. The other day, I was frustrated after looking at the rabbit damage on my farm. I stumbled on another farm blog where someone on the other side of the world was describing their problems with the rats and other animals I’ve had no experience with. I’m glad I only have rabbits and the odd wallaby!
I am blown way by some of the amazing photography. There are so many bloggers who produce stunning pictures. These pictures of birds illustrate my frustration. The birds are so small, when they could be the focus of the picture. My photos have generally been taken on my phone, which does do a reasonable job at times, but I can’t help thinking that it is time to dust off my ‘real’ camera and learn how to use it properly.
This lagoon is 15 metres from my front door, separated by a gravel road. It is home to a variety of bird and wildlife. These birds know no boundary between the lagoon and my garden. These are called Crested Pigeons.
The pattern in the gum tree is called a burl. It’s a deformed tree growth. The wood is prized by some wood workers.
Here we go again. My mind is reeling as I try to gather my thoughts and prepare emotionally for the next six weeks.
My household went in to lockdown way back in March. Victorians seemed to do the right things and numbers of Covid cases decreased. But a vicious second wave sees us back in an even stricter lockdown again, as of today. It’s become part of life. I note with interest as I write, that the spell checker doesn’t recognise lockdown as a single word. I thought the time was passing quickly, so quick the spell checker hasn’t caught up.
I really shouldn’t complain. I am much better placed than many to withstand the situation. I’m far away from the city and relatively secluded. I feel for the grandkids who live with us. Homeschooling, not seeing friends and being isolated on the farm is another huge adjustment. And there’s a level of anxiety, from the situation. Still they’re resilient, even looking forward to some aspects of learning at home again. Right now it’s me who is trying to prepare for the onslaught.
This dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, caught my eye today. It must be tough to survive among the bricks. It can endure whatever is thrown at it. Some call it a weed. Others, throughout history have valued it as a herb with many special properties. You can eat it or make tea with it. It’s got lots of positive nutrients. Many, many health claims are made about a myraid of medical conditions it can help with. It is even claimed to make you look better, through skin improvement.
I love its beauty. A beautiful, circular, little ball of fluff, and it reminds me of good times with my children and grandchildren puffing the fluff away and making wishes for the future. They are actually spreading the goodness. The dandelion seed has downy fluff which serves as tiny parachutes to carry it on the breeze. Some claim it can travel a hundred miles on the wind, even over the oceans.
Another round ball of fluff is the seed of artichoke plants. Each little fluffy ball can have over 1500 seeds. They travel shorter distance and some people call the fluffy seeds, ‘fairies’ as the drift on the wind.
In the last house I lived was located, as they said, “in the dead centre of town”. Over the road from my place was an old cemetery. In summer many of the old graves were quite beautiful; reason being, some lovely ferns grew alongside the graves. The pretty ferns were in fact, asparagus plants. Were they planted by relatives of the dead to look beautiful or were they just wild? Did they seed from the popular floral arrangements of the day? It’s not unusual to find asparagus plants in old cemeteries. I eventually learned to look out in spring, after the first rain. If I was quick, and beat other visitors, I could pick some amazing asparagus spears, tender, succulent and tasty. There’s something special about asparagus, picked fresh and taken straight away to the kitchen.
After moving to my present location, imagine my surprise and delight when I noticed clumps of those unmistakable ferny plants scattered randomly along the waterway in front of my house. In winter they grow with little red berries and then dry up and wait for the rain.
From past experience I have learned to cut back the plants to the ground. So I attacked this little clump. As the asparagus shoots poke, up the trick is to cut them as close to the ground as possible. They seem to like this treatment and continue to produce more and more. Bring on the rain.
While I was sorting the fabric, I rediscovered lots of Christmas prints and wondered what Christmas,post COVID, might be like this year. Will we all be free of it? Will the virus be under control or will we still be on this awful roller coaster surfing the waves? I really wasn’t feeling optimistic enough to launch myself into a complex Christmas project. As I was pondering where to start, the little guys behind me suggested I make them another friend, after all it gets pretty lonely living up in an attic studio, the pattern is simple and another reindeer for Christmas might be useful.
So….I followed the usual process. Here comes Reindeer no 4.
I gathered the pattern pieces and… as I make a ‘doll’ it usually starts to take on its own characteristics. Rarely, do I slavishly follow the original pattern. This one though really had a mind of his own. He had just dodged the border controls and escaped from the North Pole. Apparently, Santa’s mob are very concerned about the virus too. Yes, even there. They have it too. There is a lot of dissent about working conditions in the next 6 months. He wasn’t looking forward to Christmas 2020, in fact, it was already taking its toll. He was exhausted. Between lock downs, there was a lot of travel and preparation. Sourcing the materials that they need for the workshops was becoming stressful. Santa was admitting to being more than a little anxious. The elves were all hoping that they’d stay in good health. Some of them were finding it difficult to think about spreading joy and presents. I mean, think about it. The risks involved in landing on all the roofs. Someone had to go down all those chimneys. Who knows what germs might be lurking below. Did they really have to go to every continent? Even…? This one just couldn’t take it anymore. He needed a break. (Don’t we all?), so he dropped in to stay with the other lads for a while. I must say he looked in bad shape.
He seems to be settling in well, enjoying the company of the others. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery and disappear, with his new buddies, to help Santa with the Christmas rush.
So it is easy to make a resolution to blog regularly, but it’s much harder to keep going. I’ll bet that’s been said before? The weather and the threat of the second wave of COVID isn’t helping. Cold, rain, border closures, lock downs, endless TV images. It sucked any creativity and get up and go right away. Nothing happening, nothing to say, no reason to get out of bed, not going anywhere soon. BUT…
I did manage to throw myself into cleaning and sorting. I wonder if it’s satisfying my need for order and control of my life. An orderly cupboard, lots of full ordered drawers, an empty drawer, lots of empty plastic tubs and an empty work space. It’s taken quite a lot more time than I thought but I did it. Well, to be honest I can say that I sorted the cotton pieces. There is still lots more of the more interesting pieces to sort. I quite enjoyed the ironing and folding, rediscovering lots of lovely fabric pieces that I have collected over many years. I even ‘sanded’ the work table, trying to remove the creative efforts of the grandchild, who had put more texta and paint on the table than on the many art pieces he has contributed.
Strange, how the trio perched on the railing behind me watched my efforts, with wry grins on their faces. Curious creatures… they’re my cross between a reindeer and a rabbit. They emerge to add to the decor in both seasons, Christmas and Easter. It might be a stretch, but holding a big Easter egg, they could pass for a rabbit.
So how long did the work table stay in its pristine condition? Well, lets just say that before the sanding has been effectively finished….the table has a new project. Funny how a clean work bench just seems to call out to me. Or was it the idle chattering of those three watching me? More on that soon.
I’ll always remember my brother-in-law, Richard’s words when he came to visit Australia many years ago. He was in awe of the space we have here to live in. He made me feel guilty that I had so much; acres of relatively unspoilt environment, when he’d travelled the rest of the world extensively and observed it to have way too many people struggling to survive with their lot. He was envious. I haven’t always seen it that way. The climate is harsh, dry in summer. Water is scarce, and nature seems to want to take back ownership, under its rule. It can be lonely. It can be threatening. It can be a struggle too in its own way. Having grown up in a city, I often yearned for what I missed. As the COVID crisis continues, I am acutely aware that I am so lucky to live where I live. It’s beauty is unique and the isolation is comforting. I’m enjoying sharing it here.
I’ve just returned home from travelling 6 hours south to the coast to visit family. It was the first opportunity to travel that I’ve had, since the COVID crisis. The country is so vast and sparsely populated, I saw very few people on the journey. On the way I passed these hay bales. Someone has gone to a great deal of effort. We celebrated Anzac Day, back in April. These represent the Australian soldiers lost in the war. Love their slouch hats made from corregated iron.
I went to Portland. It’s so different to where I live. Colder and damper. I visited the only mainland Gannet Colony at Point Danger. The misty rain added to the beauty.
The gannets huddled together on a lonely spot near the water’s edge. Gannets look like really big seagulls.
Boof enjoyed the beach at Cape Bridgewater.
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