Pip considers the day

I really like grace's practice of posting every day - and of posting everyday things. See her beautiful blog Windthread and the story cloths she sews.

I'm going to keep paying attention to day-to-day things. 

Every morning Pip has a walk and goes outside until the evening. He's just getting used to this new kennel. The old plastic greenhouse disintegrated last winter. 

Red Poppies and Crimson Rosellas

One hundred years since the Gallipoli landing, and I loved the kindness and care in the hand-made poppies. Remembering with love. 

Then this afternoon, looking out the window after rain, I saw the Crimson Rosellas.

The second rosella can just be seen at the far right.

The instagram effect is not deliberate - just an inept photographer.

Intentions for this Winter

Autumn is just about over. It's refreshingly cold, rain has fallen every night for a week, and some days as well.  I always revive a bit once summer really ends.
I've been feeling miserable, tired and incompetent the last few months. It's not just been the summer heat. I've let the research project take over all my time, got too tired and have been diagnosed with, among other things, an allergy to sunlight - not really surprising for a woman who is not fond of summer!  So I have done my yearly winter review and decided to  slow the research project down a bit, and pick up the blog again.
I began this blog to keep in touch with family in Melbourne and Cairns. I soon discovered it was a very satisfying way to keep in touch with me. So as well as sewing again, pottering about the house, writing stories and visiting friends, I am going to put up at least one post a week. I don't know why I  stopped doing such things!
Tomorrow and Saturday I'm catching up with good friends over the best coffee in Ballarat. On Sunday Yin and I will drive to Kyneton and visit friends in their new house and garden.

This is the quilt, put aside for over a year that  I am going to finish by the end of April.

In June I am flying up to Cairns to spend some time with my eldest son. The tickets are booked.

Autumn 3 Lake Wendouree

Suzanna asked about this bird, so I thought I had better name them all. They are quite common water birds in Victoria, and generally found on the lake here all year round. 

Walking around the lake after a few days of welcome rain. This is a purple swamp hen.

Pacific black ducks.

Australian black swan.

Autumn 2 Ararat

I had a trip to the Ararat library to talk about our archives this Wednesday.

I love this town, perched up on its rocky spine, surrounded by hills.

It's been a baking dry autumn. Ararat was hot.

Autumn 1 April 2015

Autumn at last!

I'm having a break from the obsessive research and writing. Pottering with the camera, a bit of quilting, visiting friends.

Setting up the table on Easter Sunday morning.