Seems like.......Armageddon!

Thanks Forestry Tasmania! Ruin a beautiful, stunning Autumn afternoon and fill it with black billowing smoke from a Forestry burn off! The size and intensity of these burns are absolutely amazing. The smoke looks more like a nuclear explosion then a controlled bushfire which is essentially what it is.

 A few choice photos of Burns from years gone by.......................

Tassie.......not always so clean and green!!

A Chilly Start!

This morning was cooler then expected. l think we were forecast about 11 degrees and woke up to a cool 4 degrees instead! 

Tinks was non too impressed and wasn't going to pop her head out of her snug little stall until the last possible minute! Quite  funny really as usually all three of them are standing outside on their little platforms waiting for breakfast

Cold doesn't seem to bother these guys though, although we are just about to start constructing a shed for them to go in at night. This is the little one winged girl who is doing well and getting more grey in her feathers every day.

The boy who was attacked is the lucky one of 4 drakes who has been earmarked to stay......the rest.............duck l'orange unfortunately........!!

Pictures

Geoff and l have finally got around to putting a few pictures up about the place. Is taken 6 months but we seem to have not got around to it until now! We still have heaps to put up but its nice having some old familiar friends gracing the walls again!

This is one of Geoff's!

This one from my talented Ma!

A picture capturing a bye gone era. Pages of an old old catalogue displaying everything from harness to chaff cutters!

Another one of Geoff's in the hallway!

Two more in fact!!!

A framed photo my Dad took many years ago in some European city whose name escapes me....! Blimey.......that wall looks green!!!

l love this watercolour!

A Windmill somewhere possibly in Holland but it reminds me of one near a town in Norfolk,UK that Mum and l stayed in once.

A few modern pictures in the mix too!

And quite possibly one of my favourites.l have it listed as being called Ned On The Brown Mare by Sir Alfred Munnings.. but l think its actually called The Huntsman.........either way l do love it....a print of course!!! Sadly!

This exquisite little miniature is just beautiful. l found it in an antique shop in Hobart and Geoff bought it for me for a birthday. It has a velvet mount to go around its overly elaborate frame and l just love i!

This picture here is probably the oldest possession l have! l think l must have had this painting since l was about 10 years old? Ma.....correct me on that??? Its called "On Hawks Estate" and as a little girl l used to gaze at it longingly through the window at our local Art Gallery.

This is Geoff's Corroboree! It's a really weird dark painting that makes sense but doesn't........if that makes sense!!!!

Even a portrait of my old dog Diesel from W.A that my sister gave me as a present one year.

And lastly this old picture that l think belonged to my Grandmother. It's actually painted on the back of a piece of glass which was quite a popular method in those days!
Lots of lovely pictures with many more to go up.Cant wait!

A Busy and Entertaining Weekend!

Now the shorter nights are setting in, it's all too easy to end up asleep in front of the heater by 7pm at night! Friday night to prevent that from happening we headed off down to our local pub The Franklin Tavern for the evening. Friday night is 'Band Night" Not really a structured night , pretty much anyone can show up and play if they want to and if they can! There is generally an old stalwart on the piano who sings manic pre 1940 German songs and some very strange old man who does about a 70 kilometre round trip every Friday to play his cardboard box...................yep... same box every Friday night ...............it's a computer printer box with the writing in French. Its blue and yellow and he hits it out of time with his drumsticks...........and has a ball and when he gets excited he shouts !!............ There's also a guy with Aspegers who plays the drums but he really is quite normal...................Apart from those three its pretty much open slather. Friday night was fairly humorous as this tiny tiny little man suddenly hopped off his bar stool, shunted Jaan off his piano stool and started to sing. His wife was there also wearing a full length ballgown............... and she played spoons........even when no one else was playing she still played the spoons... loudly.................its a funny place. Sometimes a bit surreal maybe but generally good for a laugh...!

 Just a sample of the crew that hang out there!

Saturday l went to work and Geoff stayed home and wielded the chainsaw with great gusto and did a brilliant job of hacking into most of the Crack Willow that were falling, growing and wrecking the fence that divides us from the Fleurtys Rivulet.

He discovered a little island just over the fence where the Rivulet divided in two.  Real Blair Witch country and you can almost hear those banjos playing and the eyes of the Gators staring at you out of the water!

Lilli just loves exploring and takes on anything !

Saturday evening we decided to have our own little party and took off down to the Riverbank with dogs, guitars, kero lamps and red wine (it was cold!) We left the house bathed in light as a beacon for when we headed home!!

Yes........ ok we drove............its about 300m ...but we had a lot to carry!!!!

It was all quite eerie to be surrounded by enormous Willows! Dark and spooky!

We burnt some very old rotten wood full of enormous nails!

Lilli DIDN'T love it and was too cold until she snuggled down my jumper for the evening!

But we had a great time and staggered home to bed well and truly smelling of smoke ,delicious BBQ chicken and sausages! A good weekend!

Margate Train Again!

l had to go into Kingston this morning to do a few things so treated myself to a visit to my favourite shop! Amazingly nothing grabbed me today (which is a good thing!) but as usual had a wonderful time browsing around looking at all the weird and wonderful stuff they have. l must say though l do love this magnificant wooden horse but don't think l would ever fit it on the mantelpiece!

Being now a fully converted goat lover l found this stuffed head rather disconcerting!!

And felt a bit sad when l saw this carefully preserved enormous turtle...................

Came home empty handed and opened up the house to enjoy the beautiful Autumn sun. Egor the Door Stop basks in the afternoon rays as he gallantly holds the front door open for me!

A lovely Autumn Day!

Today was one of those beautiful Autumn days when the sky is deep blue and the temperature is just perfect!!! l wandered around the paddocks for a while this morning. Here is little Blue slowly getting bigger!

And Auntie Jack.......... is just big!!

And the lovely little Poppy, my favourite. She's such a sweet natured cow!

l spent an hour or so raking up the Walnut leaves..................then a light breeze came along and down came twice as many as what l had just raked up! (sigh!) l toyed with the idea of getting one of those Blower/Vac things we sell at work but Geoff said that they were "too suburban" ........(??????) so l am back to raking........... raking............... raking................

Our hay pile is whittling away dramatically. We have two regular buyers and now possibly a third one. The trouble is they come and get only 10 at a time so the Ute is still parked outside and the bay is still full! Hopefully by the really cold and frosty weather we shall be able to poke its nose under cover!

And just a few photos l took today just because it was all so pretty and glorious!

Oh and THIS!!!....................l found this behind the big wheel thingy that is sitting in the paddock (more technical term is some old base/axle thingy part of a tractor/cart thingy......l don't know!!!) but ANYWAY this was lying behind it and its PERFECT for my non plant Garden Bed!! Its just wood and rusty metal but ONE DAY when l have plants in the flower bed it will nestle in interestingly l think!

And a stunning Sunset to end a perfect day....