Post AMazed

"And now the party's over..."

Big family next door

We were taking a stroll, but left the neighbouring mob alone, as they seemed to be having a great time ~ young and old. How may can you see?

It's Very Windy

How windy? Very.

In fact this windy. The rain gauge as an anemometer.

James

Still life with pumpkin

Sometimes the composition occurs naturally, over time.  Winter is coming, the pumpkins are now inside.

James

Rustique Winders

A local view with high dynamic range (HDR) and filter.

James

There & Back Again

It's been quiet here.

But we're back.  I noticed on our return that the crisp all-too-bushfire ready grass made the same crunchy noise at +35 degrees as the snow in Canada did at -2 degrees*.

We'll get a few blog posts together of some of the many highlights and fun things we got to see and do on our Christmas and New Year extravaganza over the next few days and weeks, so check back and please let us know you're stopping by!

James

( * For those still stuck using Fahrenheit, that's 'really hot' and 'just below freezing' - or 308.15 and 271.15 Kelvin.)

Fab! Fabbri

They're back (at the Mediterranean Wholesalers - see here) so we snagged some. We weren't able to go home in a Fabbri truck, seen on the Boston food website here:

But we found some fascinating Fabbri history here and here, the latter being the official website, which has a range of remarkable period advertising here.



Better than roses, pearls?  But of course!

James

Walking Wounded

The young master had to have a small growth removed from his leg recently, and was given a full anaesthetic and enough morphine on the day to make the world a much slower, fall-y down place.  

Pats were particularly welcome.

He got a bandage, which was annoying of course, and worse, had to wear a plastic bag over it when going out in the rain.   He quickly learned to walk three legged.

However it's off now, and on Thursday he'll be allowed to run free - at the moment walks are all on the lead, as the vet doesn't want him to chance straining the stitches etc.

The vet also politely pointed out to the proud owners that at age seven, the Young Master is definitely now middle aged...

James

Passing Roo

This chap decided to check out our front lawn this Sunday morning.

While people often assume roos actually frolic on Australian high streets, they don't, but a quiet country acreage is certainly fair game.

James

Toby's Toy

At Christmas, a very lucky dog was given a kibble ball, which after some initial confusion (trying to eat it, rather than roll it to get the kibbles out) has proven to be a solid ~ or rather kibble spewing ~ hit.

Here's Toby checking there's still kibbles in it, and it's worth persisting with.  (There were, and it was.)  Big thanks to Katy and Peter.

[Photo by Bev.]

Found Tractor!

Hey, Zach!  We found someone had left this neat little tractor outside the house today.

D'you think we can keep it?

James

Weather Plus

A lot of rain certainly has an effect on some of the flora, while the other, younger, dahlias coped remarkably well.

After a weekend of 35+ degrees C (95+ F) and pretty continuous 40+ km/h (25+ mph) winds, we had 90+ mm (3 & 1/2 + in) in 24 hours. Certainly everything a garden might want, but in excess.

James

Tricolore towels

Tricolore towels

Artichokes II

People have asked that if the normal fate of the artichokes pictured here had come to pass. It had...

And then there was:

Strawberries, also from the garden. As the Kiwis say, 'sweet as...'

James

Spiny Visitor

As we were getting ready to go out, Bev was more than slightly startled to see a huge lump stuffed up against the back of the fridge in our kitchen, looking like a rolled up jumper with a bunch of knitting needles through it.

"I'm quite happy here, thank you!" Echidna seen from the rear. [James]

It proved to be a somewhat lost echidna! Having checked the risks* we attempted to remove it, which quickly proved impossible. Even dressed with heavy gloves and in my coat, trying to lift an animal the size of a large, fat cat that didn't want to be lifted proved more tricky than you'd think - it seemed to be attached to the floor. Echidnas have very powerful digging claws, and are ideally adapted to grabbing onto carpet - as we found. When the spines started to dig into the wooden wall, we decided to call Wildlife Rescue. Apparently the way you get rid of an echidna is to block off** all but the preferred exit, and it will - when it's good and ready - toddle*** off into the sunset.

We propped the back door open, blocked off the sides of the route as recommended and left it to it, and when we returned some hours later, it had gone.

In the meantime, we'd had a crash course in the details of the echidna, and it is a easily overlooked and fascinating animal; unique or odd in so many ways. I'll just mention that a baby echidna is called a 'puggle' and that they seem to happily go through life for a very long time in a range of climates that we find challenging. If you'd like to know more (you'll be amazed, I'm sure) here's a link to this website that goes into more detail, and also this very amusing website (and more) by a chap that has hand-reared puggles. Well worth a read.

James.

* Like the related platypus, it does have a pair of spurs, but the echidna's are not poisonous; the spikes are actually modified hairs and aren't ejected, and if non-Australians are wondering, in general it's easier to assume things are dangerous and work back from there - echidnas appear to be dangerous mainly if you fall on one or try and cuddle it...

** Suitcases and boxes are recommended; it will, like a wombat, go through anything like card and plastic if it wants to, by the way.

*** It has a cute as all gait that really is a 'toddle'.

The Advent of Moomins

A parcel marked PRIORITY, came from beyond the Arctic circle,

Bearing a franked Santa and a Little My stamp, inside of which was the Advent of the Moomins, arriving just in time, all the way from Finland,

To go up on the picture wall and have door ONE opened on the right day,

While others were borne to Northcote and Kingston, and no doubt other places exotic.

James

[Thanks to Bev, Ottobre Magazine, and, critically, Tove Jansson. Pic 3 by Meghan.]

Wagtailettes

Like most of Australia, we have a very active Willy Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) which regards our house and the surrounds as 'his' territory, and regularly poses in camera range as seen before here. No-one really seems to know why they waggle their tails as they do (when perched, or on the ground) but from observation I think the usually advanced explanation of it being a bug attracting trick is highly suspect.

A while ago we noticed that rather than the one Wagtail, there was a pair about, chattering at us and sweeping their tails just as their name is derived.


They were also VERY clear that the barn was out of bounds to us (as above) and anyone else, such as the magpies which were getting harassed (usually it's the magpies harassing everyone else). Wagtails are pretty fearless and didn't mind dive-bombing us if we got too close.

A couple of weeks ago, after all the activity, we were getting ready to go out for dinner at a friends when we noticed that there were two black and white fluffballs on the side and roof edge of the barn - the Wagtail chicks were out, and having a look at the wide world!


Our departure was delayed while I grabbed some images on a rather grey day. Above - chick on the left, watching parent on the right.


"Oo are you?"


A fw days later, after a bit of careful exploring while the barn was clearly not under guard, revealed the nest, on a beam, anchored by a a piece of abandoned wire.


The chicks have grown quickly, since, and it can be hard to tell the juveniles from the parents at a glance, but it's clear the little ones haven't developed the tail-feather muscles properly yet, and the waggle has a training-wheels feel about it.


There's also the fluffy baby feathers, with brown tips, as seen above, even though the Edward Heath eyebrows have receded to a more normal proportion. Mature Wagtails are fully black and white with a dash of yellow, and the sexes seem to be indistinguishable.


Sometimes mum or dad is around, and there's still quite a bit of learning going on. One of the juveniles flew into the house's lean-to and (confused by all the windows) was unable to get out, until I captured it in my hands and released it outside. It was like holding a mouse wrapped in a tiny umbrella, the feather's shaft feeling like the umbrella's ribs.

The Wagtail parental advice and home are wound-up as soon as the next clutch is laid, and the current kids are given the heave-ho.

Bev had one of the adults snatch a bug out of the air less than a couple of feet from her face. They are very aerobatic, and have a very varied flight pattern.

They are nice to have around, and make good companions in the garden.

James

Arty Chokes

Our artichokes that Bev's been nourishing are justaboutready...

These are their pre-prandial portraits.

James

Not quite Goldfields Gothic

But the family at the cottage. Toby, Bev, James.

Photo by Kathy Mexted. Thanks!

James

Ductacular

Sometimes you've just got to stretch and beat the wings...

Pacific Black Duck

James