Mother Nature Rocks!

We drove out to the lake this afternoon, hoping for another good sunset.

Mother Nature answered our request.

Firstly we went lakeside, and to the sound of deer mating - yes you heard correctly (there was a male with great big antlers, snorting and grunting while chasing a little white deer around the enclosure), we took out our cameras and snapped away.

As the colour began to fade on the lake, we could see up the hill to the West, where the sun was disappearing, the colour was more intense, so we drove to the top of the rise and this is what I found...

A funny thing happened before we got to the lake.

We were driving along a dirt road behind the lake when I noticed this in a tree alongside the road!  Last thing I expected to see!

So today was filled with some shopping in the morning, some cleaning and repairing this afternoon and then we looked at the outside of a couple of rental houses that have come available.

Even though BGWLBH has a house to move to, she is going to look at these houses anyway, just in case.

Anyway, tomorrow night is my birthday dinner, so I'm having an early night tonight, just in case tomorrow turns into a big one - I doubt it since we are all older and less inclined to party, but ... just in case ... I don't want to be the party pooper ... being the birthday girl and all!

Nite all.

Sunrise/Sunset

I was woken by BGWLBH at the crack of dawn today.

The rains had passed from last night and clouds were parting and it was shaping up to be a wonderful sunrise.

So I literally dragged myself out of bed, changed out of my nice warm jammies, gathered my camera gear in the back pack and off we went in search of the perfect sunrise.

It took a while for the colour to appear, but in the end it was quite special, even if it was only briefly.

We got home about ten minutes before a small storm broke right above the house.  Lightning and thunder and very heavy rain for about five minutes, which produced this!

At the time, the rainbow did not appear to be in our back yard, but this photo shows clearly that it was!

Then a nice little farm related pic...

... and finally sunset.

We walked for a long time hoping for something more spectacular this afternoon.

It was tough going because there is a lot of slippery mud about after the rains and I spent more time skating on it that walking on it.

My body is feeling it tonight.   I must have used a lot of muscles, that I don't normally use, trying to stay upright!

I'm really hoping that tomorrow sees either a cloudless sky or is completely overcast, so that I can sleep in.

Not that I'm complaining!  I love a good sunrise probably more than the next person, and if it was up to me to get up on my own to photograph it, it probably wouldn't happen, so I need BGWLBH to get me moving at the right time of the day.

It means that I am extra tired tonight.  We played bingo today and BGWLBH won three prizes and I won nothing.  We'll try again next week :D

For now, I've completed the sunrise/sunset challenge that BGWLBH set for me and I am getting a reasonably early night to bed.

Nite all.

It's Raining Again

We watched the storm build up this afternoon.

What started out looking like a pretty sunset, was soon swamped by dark clouds, strong winds and patches of heavy rain.

That's the storm building in the distance.

I think there is rain forecast for three days now.

We visited an old friend this morning and caught up over a cuppa.  It was a nice way to start the day.

Then we visited our mate at the Recycling Centre and got some boxes so that we can continue to pack and clean.

He contacted a removalist mate of his for us and organised a date, because apparently there is a long waiting list for removalists after the floods last month.

He and his wife are helping to organise my birthday dinner for Saturday night.  We are going to the Leagues Club.

I doubt if all of the old gang will turn up because their lives are all so different now running businesses, work, family and other commitments.  I know that two of them will and it will be nice to catch up with them.

On Monday, my actual birthday, we are having an afternoon tea with BGWLBH's teacher friends, so that should be fun.

Another Autumn shot from a street in town ...

Tomorrow should be a busy day of cleaning and packing so I should sign off and get some sleep.

Nite all.

Lunch in Paradise

Happy Birthday to Dad W, who turned 72 today but sadly had to spend the day in hospital.  Still, he was in good spirits and his health is rapidly improving so he could be home in a couple of days.

After we left the hospital, we drove out to the other side of town to a beautiful home that belonged to Sandra, a lovely woman who provided the most delicious and healthful lunch to seven of us who thoroughly enjoyed her very warm hospitality.

Her home was like a little patch of paradise on acreage.  Tall ghost gums among other tall trees that created the most beautiful miniature forest on her front lawn.  It was a haven for all sorts of singing birds, and the colours of Autumn were beginning to show themselves.

The welcoming driveway.

The front garden.

More of the front garden.

The splendour of Autumn.

Inside was warm and welcoming with her kids' old school pictures framed and hanging on the walls.  Her youngest is now 21 yrs old.

A kitchen that anyone would die for, with a giant island bench, masses of storage space, a huge walk-in pantry and top quality appliances including a commercial size gas stove and oven.

Lots of windows to look out into the beautiful garden and to allow all of that glorious filtered light inside.

A very wide verandah that wrapped three quarters of the way around the house that looked out over green lawns and down to a small dam that housed a mini jetty.  So serene and so pretty.

Ye old water tank.

Dam, complete with jetty (and fake aligator head)

The gang, including Trevor, the dog.

She served a dessert of chocolate meringue pavlova with assorted berries and cream, which we took outside to enjoy on the verandah.

Sandra was a brilliant hostess and then kindly allowed me to wander around the grounds with my camera to capture some of the beauty that surrounds her.

I had a lovely time and so far, today goes on my 'top ten' list for my holiday.

How nice it is to finish this post at a reasonable hour!

After a wonderful lunch in paradise, I also get an early night to catch up on some sleep ... what a lucky day for me :D

Nite all.

So Frustrating!

I can't tell you how frustrating this evening has been, trying to get this blog post completed!!

I have had a real problem with the internet connection all day.  The signal has been fading in and out, dropping my connection for at least ten minutes at a time.  Tonight it has been two hours!

I'd get partly finished and the connection would drop.  Ten minutes later, I would regain connection and it would give me two minutes, then drop out again.  This went on for two hours.

Really, I should have given up and gone to bed - but this has now become part of my pre-sleep ritual and I don't think I could sleep soundly, knowing that I had left it not done!

For the first time in almost a week, I was preparing to climb into bed at the more reasonable hour of 10.30 pm so that I could get a solid night of sleep.

My final task for the night was to update this blog.

Oh the cursing that was had!!

I guess that's the price that residents of rural Australia have to pay!  Poor internet service.

Anyway my story for today goes a bit like this ...

So much to do that it's overwhelming!


So ... we've made a plan.  Created a time-line.  (Adoring Husband, before you get excited, the time-line is only for packing and cleaning.  It does not include when we will leave for our road trip!)

Made a 'to do' list, selected our preferred rooms and jobs and chosen the days to complete them.

Today was kitchen day.

We cleaned out the pantry and all the cupboards, packed what we could, until we ran out of storage containers and boxes and re-lined the shelves.

BGWLBH drove into town to run some important errands and while she was there, got some cleaning products for the oven and some gloves, so that we can tackle that tomorrow morning.

Small steps.  We can do it!

This afternoon on sunset, we went for a walk on the farm and the golden colours of the sunset on the horizon were quite beautiful, so I took a shot through those lovely grasses.

There was a hawk way off in the distance searching for food, but he was just that little bit too far away to capture through the lens.  So disappointing.

Tomorrow will be a big day.  We are going to the movies in the morning.  We then have a lunch date with some teachers and then we'll be visiting BGWLBH's Dad for his birthday.  Unfortunately, he will be spending it in hospital.

So finally, despite my good intentions, after such a frustrating evening, I am now off to bed - at the usual 'stupid' o'clock!!

Nite all.

My Day at School

BGWLBH had to go to work today to tidy up a few loose ends before officially starting her Long Service Leave.

So I took the opportunity to wander around and get some schoolie shots.

Those are just a few shots taken in the classroom (obviously not the bird photo) while I waited.

We visited her Mum and filled two bags full of veggies from her garden.  We tried to visit her Dad in hospital, where he was admitted this morning, but they wouldn't allow us in yet.  So we headed out to the Lake to get some sunset shots.

Pretty amazing range of colours for one sunset hey?

I really need to get to bet earlier - these 1.30 am sleep times are beginning to wear me down!

Enjoyed my day at school, saying hi to some of the other teachers who I haven't seen for a while, but it's now the end of my day.

Nite all.

Quickies

This is just a quick post after a quiet day around the house.

There are all kinds of birds fluttering about the house.  Wrens, Robins, Finches, Warblers, Willy Wag Tails, Sparrows and Honey Eaters.

Trouble is, they see me coming and fly off into hiding!

I got two shots from a distance today ...

One is a wren of some description and the other, I think, is a Warbler.  I will have to get clarification on that from one of the bird experts in our flickr group, so I'll get back to you on that.

So before I leave here, I hope to get some closer, clearer shots of these little gems and more.

Hugs from a distance to Adoring Husband :o)

That's all for now.

Nite all.