Tuesday, 1 August 2017

August 2017

August.......Thank goodness all years don't whizz through as fast as this one!!
A month of getting up close (very up close) and personal with Maxie...
Until (as always ) he spoils it by stealing my hat..............
AND running away with it! Things don't change!
A fabulous ice mould off one of the bird baths..
And after three months of confinement little Pushka was finally allowed outside . A bit tentative at first but very happy to be free again!
August saw a visit from my sister and her gorgeous kids Jamie...... and the beautiful Tabitha.
Jamie LOVES farm life.........
And takes all his given chores very seriously!
So more fun family times..... 
Late nights!
And some photos which are really quite ..........unexplainable really..........
 
That's right.it was Mum's birthday so the WHOLE family came down! Goodness, this tests my memory at times! Great to see all these kids together. Living States apart it doesn't happen very often.
Then more Frosts arrived ...not the family kind but the savage  cold kind that killed two of my new baby trees that l had high hopes for in my garden! The beautiful burgundy Weeping Agonis.
This one was nearly two years old until Mr Jack Frost fritzed it with his continual battering.  A Western Australian native which has now told me in no uncertain terms that it is NOT suitable for a Tasmanian climate! Point taken!
But we ALSO had golden hints that Spring really was just around the corner.
 And out came the daffodils
The Hyacinth........
Snowdrops......
And of course ,the Hellebores.
And the amazing Calendula that didn't actually STOP flowering the whole time!
Yep, Spring is coming!

Saturday, 1 July 2017

July 2017

Winter...... Some exceptionally heavy frosts to be had in July. l think we had 4 or 5 real white outs in a row. Big tall frosts that climbed right up the tops of the trees. Unusual for us here.
Seeing these photos you forget.............
How cold it gets!
But always so beautiful!
With little fluffy woolly ponies always happy to see you for a carrot and a bit of hay
As they head off to their paddock in the morning.
And July gave us a visit from these two from Sydney.
Our gorgeous little nieces, my brother and his wife Donna. 
Georgie was a big hit
As were our days out . Always great fun to be around these two.
And how can we forget . July was the month of The Burning Man...............An idea hatched over a bottle of wine the evening before..... A huge Wicker Man made of Willow and straw.....
Bonfire made and a picket put in place to hold him up
Geoff made the body. A cage of chicken netting and willow poles stuffed with hay...
Simon made the head...............
With help of course!
Out of reeds, willow, bracken............he really was quite magnificent!
 
Then the neck and the arms were put on
And the delicate operation of attaching the head to the rest of the body.
Without it falling off! 
On to the back of the ute..............to its final destination.........the bonfire!
THEN the quandary of getting him OFF the ute and up onto the stack! He was very heavy!
Down.........but not up!
Job done! With ropes and stays.
 
Up he stood, solid as a rock!
An imposing sight with the backdrop of trees!
Mission accomplished! What a team!
Then down went the sun
The darkness fell.......................
A crowd gathered..............
And up in flames he went!
Almost seemed a bit sad to burn him!
But burn he did!
Until down he came..............A great night, a fun day and we are all looking forward to this year when we do it all again!
Maybe we should write a song about it!!