Pioneer Cemetery

At the bottom of our road is a Pioneer Cemetery. l have called in to see it a couple of times and did so again today. Today was extra special as some dedicated hardworking person had gone in there with a brush cutter and cut away all the bushes ,weeds and general neglect around the older section of the Grave Yard. Its in the most stunning position. l say the 'bottom' of our road but it rises steeply once it leaves the main highway and not long at all before you are up to having the river looking quite spectacular below.

Its neglected but a peaceful place. The road to the Cemetery itself has not been there for that long. A friend of ours apparently cut the road up there himself probably about 40 years ago. Up until then they used to have to carry the bodies up the bank!

There are some very imposing headstones.

Lots of ornate wrought iron work. All rusty, a lot broken but still as strong as the day it was painstakingly created.

 l would say about 50% of the headstones are broken which is as always a crying shame.

Some have flowers

Some are so heartbreakingly simple you have to wonder at the stories behind them. This wasn't old  but it was simply two pieces of wood with one nail holding them together.. It was only a small grave. Surely not a child's? l like to think maybe someone chose to lay to rest an old family dog or cat in this lovely spot.

 Some were  plain

 This was one of three in a row all engraved by hand

Some were quite Gothic and scary!

 

Check out the lady in the cloud top right hand corner! No idea where THAT came from!!

And some of the very poorest of the very oldest seem to be nothing more then pieces of local stone to mark the final resting places. So much history we know so little about.

No one to watch over them except a couple of cows. Totally oblivious to the stunning back drop to the river and beyond behind them!

My weakness!!

Today l went into Hobart to look at a Ute to buy. Came back baffled and with nothing which was what l expected!! On my way into Hobart l popped into this sort of junk/collectables shop in Huonville. Not intending to buy anything but its always fun to look! Found this "had to have" candle lantern! Love it..... $5..... bargain!!! l haven't bought a candle stick for ............7 days??'

THEN.......on my way back....... l called into the brand new Tip Shop that has just opened up at the Huonville Rubbish Dump! Wonderful! l had been meaning to have a look to see what sort of trash they had. Safe to go in there for sure............WRONG!!.... Look at my lovely 'had to have' candle sticks l found!!!! They stand about 2 feet high..... $3......BARGAIN!!!

The weird thing was, was that when l got home with my wonderful Tip Shop candle sticks, l opened up the back door to let the dogs out and had completely forgotten l had already bought my lantern one only a few hours before! This started me thinking that maybe l  have this weird candle stick fetish.... THEN l started to look around the house to see just how any of them l actually have. Heaven forbid if l ever counted them!!! l have lots and lots of brass ones. All different sizes and shapes.....

 Some wonderful mystical silver ones!

Wrought iron ones. This one in particular is living outside this Summer to be hopefully an arbour for the decorative grape vine l discovered going rampant in the flower bed! Should end up looking quite spectacular this Autumn!

 l have very very large ones that actually look like street lights!

 Gorgeous exotic curly ones!

 A fabulous art deco pair of cobras my parents bought me for Christmas! Love them!

 Solid magnificent stone ones!

 Colourful wooden hand painted Indian ones!!

 Strange little 'one off' peculiar ones!

This one l bought the day l had Possum put down. Its Chinese with a brass engraved plate that sits on this hand carved collapsible duck shaped wooden base with horse hoofed feet!!!

And soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many glass ones of all different shapes and colours that look so beautiful all lit up together!
And this is only a tiny portion of them! Just some of my favourites......then there's all of my outside ones.............

l fully believe that one cannot have enough candle sticks and holders so my quest for more will continue on......................

Bob Dylan said.......

.. ''a change in the weather is known to be extreme"
Thank you Bob!!

It is never a truer statement said!

Yesterday we sweltered in the sun .....OK not as hot as Melbourne OR Adelaide but hot for Tassie!! We cooked outside and sat in the dappled light of the Walnut Tree. Too hot to do much else.

 

 Wandered down to the rivulet and watched our platypus collect his dinner

And now this morning l am rugged up in my fleecy dressing gown while outside is taking a real battering with wind and rain!

Our little frog friend decided to hop through the window to check us out from the INSIDE too!!

Poppy and Blue!

Love this first 12 months in the garden. Its not spectacular but its wonderful seeing all the plants at their best for the very first time. This rose outside the back door is just stunning.

Finally got to pat the cow!!! She has decided at last that wheat and cow pellets are yum!!!  A relief, as now we can go into the paddock and she walks towards us not away! The calf is a bit of a character and LOVES her chin, ears and cheeks scratched!  We have named the cow Poppy in honour of our single purple poppy and the calf has been given the name Blue, after her scratchy blue sandpaper tongue!

The two little ducklings are surviving!! They are pathetic and look a bit bedraggled but still eating and drinking.l tried again today to put them back with the rest of the brood but there is no way they will accept them back. The mother duck would, its the other ducklings that hate them as well as the geese and the other duck! They chase them , hound them away ,peck them and are quite horrid. Poor little things!

They had a bath today which they both enjoyed!

Then safely away back in their prison for the night!

Butter wouldn't melt in these little critters mouths though!

 Especially at feed time!

Post Note!! Look who just suckered himself to the window as we are both sitting here!

New Years Day 2012

Woke up to a dew covered garden on the first year of 2012. All the flowers were beaded with  it. l had a lovely quiet wander around examining them all!

 

The afternoon was spent by both of us (on a very rare day off TOGETHER!!) building a raceway in between the big paddock and the holding paddocks. Just a sort of animal catchment  area to safeguard them escaping into the wild blue yonder!

 The sheep gang plus goats thought it was OK!

Ended the day with a bonfire burning off some old dried reeds with Lilli firmly in hand as there was a massive Wedge Tail Eagle in the tree. A wine to see  out the evening on our first day of the year. Perfect!