Froggy Kisses

Can you see the love?

Bit o' Fencin'

Yeah, I just went out onto the spread one day and decided to fence the crop so as to keep the stock out mate! Yeah, we farmers have to do that sometimes. Got meself some fence posts and fencin' wire and went to work with me tools. Yeah, it was a hot day and stuff but you know, it has to get done. Growin' herbs see and the geese have taken a likin' to 'em and the bloody dog seems to think it makes a great poo factory. Yep, gotta' handle these situations on acreage you know.

Home with Character

A very rustic looking bit of fencing yes? Just bristling with character. But there is more to this fence post then meets the eye.




Every year in this particular post there is a clutch of eggs from a pair of eastern rosellas. We saw these on the way up the hill to get the Christmas Tree From Hell. I hope they are viable eggs. I will check them again for chicks and hopefully photograph them.

The Christmas Tree From Hell....apparently

I knew to take my camera with us when going to chop down the Christmas tree from our paddock. The Lovely Husband was at work and it was down to the teens and me! I could not find a saw in the shed. What I did find was a blunt axe, a rusty cane cutter and a long handled tree lopper. None of which were suitable for the job but I just like to think that ingenuity will win.




We had to approach the trees from our neighbours paddock (because our grass is as tall as us) and climb through the barbed wire fence. So far so good. One reluctant 17 year old male teen and a happy go lucky 14 year old teen female and myself climb through the fence with aforementioned tools and argue over which tree to pick. I, of course, want the tallest one but the teens want a medium sized one. Yeah right. I win argument as is appropriate.




The Young Negotiator (17yo) has a wallop with the blunt axe first. These majestic yet weed classified pine trees are a soft wood and should cut down easily. The blunt axe chips the bark. I advise we change tools but the Young Negotiator and the Dynamic Daughter must have some unresolved issues with pine trees and continue to hack at the poor thing and only achieving a scarring of the bark.





When their energy is spent I begin with the long handled tree lopper which does cut it but you have to stand back to allow for the handle. We take turns and then it is time to drag the ancient pine (probably 4 years old) up the hill to barbed wire fence. Holy Cow this is one heavy bugger!




Comically we manage the tree and tools through the fence when I decide to go back for a smaller tree for the Old Cheeses (my parents). Groans all round but I do it anyway. The three of us take turns dragging this huge and ravaged tree down the hill again and into the lounge room only to have it fall over as it is too tall for our 10ft ceiling.




To a chorus of "I told you so" the teens complain (17yo) and laugh (14yo) and I send them back outside to hack off the bottom quarter of the tree. Now it fits but is precariously top heavy in our tree stand. It has been decorated with care and I am sure a few complaints.

De-Goose the Yard

I have sold the remaining four goslings. They went to a nice man who was not going to eat them. He has a dam and was planning on training them for weed control. I hope he realises that in their minds weeds include coriander, rose buds and pineapple plants, among others.

Leopard Tree

Yep, I know, a random photo, this time the bark of a leopard tree. I think the possums have scratched this one. Stop yawning! This is my blog and I will decorate it how I like.

Ahhh Grasshopper

I know, a random photo but I like it.

Echidna In the Shed

I was putting the greyhound to bed in her shed one night recently when this very large echidna got our attention. It was quite hard to photograph in the dark, I had to guess where it was through the view finder and so it took several attempts. He/she had left the building by the next morning.

Garden Art

This is what the Dynamic Daughter considers embarrassing about my herb garden. I love going to the recycle shop at the local dump. I have promised not to buy any more toilets though. Two in one garden is enough I suppose.

Lizard Day Spa

How do you like my new water feature? There are tadpoles in it, the occasional mosquito wriggler I am sure and of course the little skink who uses it as a day spa and meditation room.

Pro-Active Woman!

I am still alive, barely. I have had major fatigue and as such have been avoiding "screens". I have been unhappy and coping with anxiety because of this fatigue. My work has suffered and I am now on two half days per week. Pathetic really. BUT.......I am on the comeback. No, the fatigue is still there but I have commenced meditation/relaxation every day. I am not very good at quietening my mind but the effort I make has made a difference to my anxiety. I am sleeping better now and am much happier. I have told the teens that I am not driving them here, there and everywhere for a while, I need to recover. I have been to the doctor and am having tests, I AM PRO-ACTIVE WOMAN!!! Ta dah!

My blogging may be a little sporadic at the moment but bare with me, it will appear in dribs and drabs. Have patience, you know that word, patience? My Lovely Husband always says "Give me patience, right bloody now!" I have had to relearn patience, respect it and accept it. Phew, it can be tough.

Did You Miss Me?

That old foe fatigue has had me by the eyelashes and I have been offline for some time. Am on my way back but slowly. My work has suffered somewhat over the last couple of months, the struggle to gain my energy is a long process requiring patience. Patience sucks. They call me 'Half day Harry' at work. Being a parent to two teenagers both with jobs and the typical social life of their age and I have been gardening lately. Phew, what was I thinking? Maybe I am getting old....nahh! Mentally I am still immature anyway.

Update: We had one of our ganders die today. I noticed yesterday morning that his wings were droopy and thought fleetingly of tick poisoning but was on my way out to work and let that particular thought go. By the time I got home at lunchtime he was unable to stand. I found the engorged paralysis tick on his neck straight away and removed it but he has been struggling ever since. In the end I was syringing water into his mouth and had him in the laundry basket inside. After a gallant battle he died. I don't know if there was a second tick on him, I looked repeatedly but there are so many damn feathers on those birds it is a near impossible job. It is always very sad when we loose an animal.

Got my first Christmas card this week. It has spurred me on to start mine. Nearly finished my gift shopping. I try to have everything out of the way before the shopping centres go crazy because they drive me crazy with the crowds and noise.

Will post some new photos soon, signing out!

Friends, Family... Same Thing

I once read a quote "Friends are the family you choose". How true is that? I love my friends. Of course I love my family too, I get on with them all. I think close friends hold a special place in your heart.

There is my Twisted Sister from the big smoke, the over sized metropolis, the city of many, many peoples. She flies up and house sits for us occasionally and sometimes visits us just because she can. Twisted Sister has helped me out over the years by playing Dance Mum, Scout Mum, School Mum, chief cook and bottle wash in the early days of my brain injury.

Most of all we have huge laughs. We laugh until we can no longer stand and have tears rolling down our faces. We sing badly together and we give cheek wherever possible. We also have "disagreements", just like sisters but we get over them too.

We have learnt that after two homemade cocktails it is twice as hard to open a farm gate. The bloody thing does not co-operate and when you are in a fit of giggles you cannot see the latch properly anyway. So going for a walk in the paddock is probably not a good idea at this point.

We have also learnt that two heads are not necessarily better than one. When you have a newly acquired greyhound in the back of your station wagon and decide to pick up some dog food and throw it in with her things can become quite unpredictable. We drove for half a block and realised what we had done. OK, we remove greyhound and put the long legged, gangly girl on the back seat of the car instead. She looks very awkward and unhappy. Another short drive, maybe we should swap dog and dog food. Much better idea for Layla. We stop again and switch them. Well derr! The greyhound has a muzzle on! Does it really matter where the damn dog food is? We have to pull over now and get over our laughing fits. Meanwhile greyhound is wondering whether she was better off locked in a cage away from these nutcases.

There is my Soul Sister. We live about 15 minutes apart and work for the same company. We are freakishly in sinc with each other and often have the same thoughts or turn up wearing very similar colours in our clothing. We have shared some zany themes at our work fancy dress Christmas parties over the years and get far too carried away with our enthusiasm.

Soul Sister has also been a huge help to me over the years. She has helped with our children and myself during the early years of that ever present brain injury and still to this day offers to help, even though it is far from convenient for her. I lecture her about it but it doesn't stop her from offering.

We have set out to embarrass the children over the years and succeeded more often than not. We try to ease the transition to womanhood for the Dynamic Daughter with humour and gross-outs and that poor teenager of mine will probably need some serious counselling when she reaches adulthood. Soul Sister is considered part of the family (she has her own of course) but we are her bonus family, her extra one.

We laugh a lot and call each other good names and bad (very bad). The Soul Sister has been nagging me for years to write a book, she says she will be my agent. We joke about riding motorbikes around Australia when we retire. We come out with a lot of waffle, bulldust and songs (also sung badly). We are Soul Sisters.

There is my pSychotic Sister. Wow, where to start with this one? She has been with me through thick and thin, some very low times both hers and mine. We do not live far from each other and met at the local playgroup when our children were small. Our children have been friends for years and pSychotic Sister and I have been there for each other's children as well. This woman is amazing. She laughs (it seems to be a theme with me doesn't it?) and she cries but most of all she is an unbelievable friend. pSychotic Sister has introduced me to an amazing group of locals that have been my friends for years and the community feel around here is to be treasured.

We have had some crazy times. We have sung with our empty water bottles as microphones, we have sung at a pub when a local band called three of us up to do back-up for "Mustang Sally". I in fact just mimed because I really do sing that badly. But here is a twist, pSychotic Sister can actually sing! How did she get into this story? We have been on many picnics together, we have had Christmas Day together, camping in the bush, by the beach but our favourite place to go is the local country cemetery. We have had some great summer evenings there on the hill amongst the headstones. The view is terrific, the food way to plentiful and the wine flowing nicely.

Naturally this pSychotic Sister has been a huge help to me over the years. She has broad shoulders, fantastic listening ears and a heart that gives and gives. We are each other's sounding board. It is not unusual for one of us to ring the other and rant and rave, get something off our chest and feel so much better for it.

I have other friends who are like family. My family and I are good friends. It doesn't get much better than that. I am one lucky woman who happens to be an appalling singer. But you know the more I see people wince and cringe at my singing the more encouraged I am somehow. Encouragement is something we all need and friends and family have that responsibility and need.

Camellia - the plant that says "I'm Sorry"

I have plans to plant a row of camellias down the side of our house that, from a gardening perspective, has been neglected. Having decided this I prepared the existing and very old garden bed with chook poop and weed matting.

One night the Lovely Husband and I had a fight. We broke the golden rule and went to bed angry. The next morning we were both sorry and over it. Later that day the Lovely Husband comes home with a decent sized camellia plant and a loaf of Turkish bread for me. That is love! I, of course, was truly delighted as we are not generally a gift giving couple.

One week down the track we decide it is time to buy the next camellia. We are spacing our purchases as they are not cheap. We decide it is time for another fight, the tradition has begun. He called me a cow and I called him the son of a motherless goat and then we smile at each other. Fight done and dusted, he can now buy another camellia for me and he does. That is love.

Balloons in the Early Morning

Isn't this beautiful? It must be so peaceful up there and at that hour of the morning. Not for me though. I would be terrified. How early must they have to get up to be in the air before sunrise? I have had two friends do this and they say the experience is fabulous, even the breakfast afterwards is something special.

Goose Family

They are all grown up now and paying homage to their mother, as all families should do. (Actually I think that is Bruce with his head up, and they are actually eating) but never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?

Karate Chop Chook

We have had chickens for about 16-17 years. All personalities and idiosyncrasies. Never in my life have I seen a hen with such an aggressive self defence mechanism. Our cute and fluffy little frizzle hen I named Sparky needs a new name. The Young Negotiator had told me she “explodes” when defending her egg laying rights but I thought he was exaggerating. You know how teens can be. Just recently I was releasing the chooks into the paddock and collecting the eggs. This sweet little girl was so low and prostate in the nest I thought she must have died so I poked her lightly. Bloody hell!! She is ninja hen, her peck/strikes were lightening fast and deadly accurate. I couldn't believe it. I tried again but again she was like Chicky Chan or Chook Norris. I grabbed an egg carton to distract her so I could check under her for eggs but even with the carton in her face she was incredible. Again the lightening strikes and silent death stare. Whoa, I was not going to collect that one tiny little egg today. It is not like she was broody/clucky either. She was just laying a bloody egg! Now there is a female who takes her job seriously.

No-one but no-one is going to move her until she is well and truly ready baby! Just imagine if she actually had chicks to defend….or a clutch of eggs. Ooh we would just have to drop her and her chicks into a war zone and she would clear the whole mess up by herself. Well, OK that is a slight exaggeration but she could certainly straighten our a school room of rebellious kids or delinquent youths. She is the Power. She is Ninja Chicken!!

Sunnybum & Swayze

I have replaced the African love bird that was lost to the wild with another the same colour as Splice. They are beautiful together but I have changed their names. New start, new names. Splice is now Sunshine or Sunnybum for short. Her new boyfriend is named Swayze. Why? The night before purchasing him I saw the movie “Ghost”. Hoo har that Patrick Swayze was a hunk of spunk. I always liked him but this movie reminded me just how lovely he was to look at. So, new gorgeous looking boy bird - Swayze! Easy.

Python in the Mango Tree

We have a mango tree just outside our bedroom window which makes it feel as if you are amongst the trees and keeps the room cool in summer. One afternoon at the end of my nana nap I heard a small bird carrying on…….and on and on. After what felt like ages I got up out of bed to investigate this very annoying chatter. Oh right, a carpet snake climbing up the branches probably heading for the birds’ (there were two of them) nest. Photo opportunity!

I grab my camera from cupboard, glasses from case, shove on shoes and hat and am out the back door to capture said snake on film, actually on chip…or whatever is in a digital. After approaching the tree carefully I begin my search. The tree is slightly different from the ground obviously but for the life of me I cannot find the snake. I am under the canopy, wandering, looking but no snake. The birds meanwhile have scarpered.

I was just about to give up on my search for the python when there was a “thud” in the low hanging branches in front of me. OH *%$#@*&! The ruddy great bugger was in front of me at chest height lying perfectly still. I managed to leap back without landing on my behind (a surprise in itself) and be clear of him/her. I think it was warning me it was there, amazing really. Anyhoo, it began climbing the tree then. I was sure it should have been higher of the ground.

Photos managed, I left it to its evil plan. I am not frightened of snakes at a safe distance but this was within arm’s length and not where I intended to be. Don’t you love the country? Always something happening.

Crocodile in the Pool

Do you like the look of Colin? We brought him back from Australia Zoo with us and now he patrols our swimming pool, silently, stealthily, floating with the current, those beady eyes ever watching. And best of all he has not orifices so he has no excrement, he makes no noise and needs no food. Some geese I know could learn something from his example.

Lunchbox Environmental Fee

I have plastic, re-usable lunch boxes for my teens’ school lunches with paper lunch wrap and re-usable ice bricks for sandwiches needing to stay cool. All very environmentally friendly. (We had to make our own lunches for school when I was growing up from about the age of 10 but I know what kind of lunches I made so I make my offspring’s lunches for diet balance and health reasons - control freak?). Unfortunately these plastic lunchboxes often did not make it back to the kitchen for cleaning and storing for the next lunch time. They probably festered in the school bags or amongst the detritus that is their bedroom floors. It got to the point where I was having to use disposable plastic bags and was complaining about their complacency on the matter. Deaf ears!

The Lovely Husband and I have realised over the years that the way to get through to our adolescents is through their finances. That is where it hurts the most.

I threatened that unless I saw those lunchboxes in the plastics cupboard when I make their lunches in the mornings I would charge them an environmental fee. Still no action. OK, the next time I made their lunches and had to bag them instead of box them I wrote on the plastic bags “Environmental Fee $1”. When the offspring came to collect their lunches to pack there were moans and grumbles and those teenage glares but within half an hour I had three of the four lunchboxes in the kitchen sink for cleaning. The lunch boxes have miraculously turned up every day in the plastics cupboard ever since but I still have those dreaded plastic bags and permanent marker ready for action should I need them. Save the earth I say!

My Computer is Fixed....at last!

Our internet went down. I tried everything to restore it. I know enough to be dangerous but was at a total loss this time. Poopanola! The tower has been in the 'puter shop for a week - with the router - and we all felt as if our throats had been cut. Our link to the outside world is back, it functions and I can once again fulfill my driving need to waffle on my blog. I have some posts on memory stick typed on that* laptop ready for cutting and pasting. I am normally sporadic with my posting anyway because I have to wait for a period of time when my fatigue is not too bad. Concentrating on a screen is a real bugger for the ol' brain injury induced fatigue. So look out, a run of incredibly fascinating and mind blowing waffle is soon to be thrust upon you.

* The Young Negotiator's laptop. It has no DELETE button. Hmmph!

Amazing!

Our two African Lovebirds, Splice and Crepsley escaped recently when their cage went tumbling down the veranda steps. I was devastated. They flew in different directions and so were out in the wild separated as well. I could hear one of them in a nearby but very large tree. I left the cage outside with the door open hoping they would return but of course the cage crashing had been terrifying for them. That night we had the mother of all storms complete with torrential rain, thunder and lightening. My feelings of guilt and worry were now quite high. The next morning was overcast and rainy. Ever the optimist, I left the cage out, but the chances of them returning were extremely slim. When I returned from work at about 12.30pm here was my lovely Splice sitting in her cage. I was so excited! Poor thing was exhausted, hungry and had a scratch on her head. She ate and slept a lot but has bounced back remarkably well. Tough birds these. Unfortunately I think Crepsley is not returning so I will buy our girl another mate. She is pleased to be home with us but is probably missing having another bird for company. African lovebirds are aptly named.

I still can't believe she came back. She is not tame or affectionate with us but is relaxed with people. I guess it is all she has known.

Aussie Animals

The few decent photos I have from Australia Zoo. We did not bother going to the koala enclosure as we see them in the wild at home.

We have a perenti here, a very large Australian lizard. They will eat chicken eggs, chicks and small mammals. I think they mostly eat carrion though.

An Eastern grey kangaroo. They are fairly common and we have even seen them around here although that is not usual.

A brush turkey. They build enormous nesting mounds of dirt and leaves in the rainforest to incubate their eggs. They are also a nuisance in the camping grounds that occupy their habitat. They rummage through your garbage and plates looking for scraps.

The crocodile. We have saltwater and freshwater crocs, or as the Aussie's call them salties and freshies. This one is a saltie I think, the more deadly of the two.

I took more photos but they were not great. I think I will do another photography coarse.

Geese-a-Growin'

These are my babies before we went away. They grow so fast. I will get another photo soon because they are practically adults now. I have to offload some soon. I want to keep about two of the same sex in the yard. We have been letting them out into the paddocks every morning and back in at night and it shocks me how far they range. Apparently they are making a nuisance of themselves with my neighbours sometimes.

Bruce, the big daddy, is still taking his role quite seriously. When I give them their grain in the evenings he will not wait like the other geese and because I am bending over to pour the grain into their dish he is way to close to my face. Bruce has had his face slapped a couple of times and told to Back Off Man! He attacks the bag of grain instead now. Not a terribly bright fellow is our Brucey.

Animal Hospital

Continuing the theme of Australia Zoo, there is the Australian Wildlife Hospital there and for a $2 donation you can have a quick look. There is the most amazing sculpture out the front.

This poor koala is recovering from surgery. It had been attacked by a dog, a common problem for them where suburbia has encroached on their environment. They are slow moving on the ground and tend to go in their chosen direction without detour. It may involve crossing back yards, over fences, paddling across the backyard swimming pool and across roads. Not a good mix.

Otter Madness

These are Asian small clawed otters, also photographed at Australia Zoo. They are the smallest of all otters and I think they be mighty beautiful.

Crikey What a Beauty

To quote Steve Irwin, "Crikey what a beaudy!" These are rhinoceros iguanas I photographed at Australia Zoo. Aren't they gorgeous? They are so ugly I love them.
They come from the Caribbean. What is it with me and ugly animals? I love my Transylvanian naked neck chickens too.
I do love reptiles.

I saw a rather large Eastern brown snake in the garden yesterday, very deadly. My staffy and cat were harassing it so I called them inside so they would not be bitten. Bloody stupid Roger went out the other door so he could harass it again but came again when I called. He just stands there and barks at snakes but those snakes are lightening fast when they strike and Roger is not that quick. I grabbed my camera to take a photo but it was too late, the snake had moved on.

Blind Faith or Fear?

While we were on holidays I discovered an interesting fact. My family either totally trust me or are too scared to argue.

Example 1

The Lovely Husband and I had chosen Wednesday for whale watching in our holidays. On the Monday we would be at Australia Zoo from where we would book the whale watching. This plan gave me Tuesday to recover. We all agreed it was a good plan. So-o-o what happens? We go to the booking desk on the Monday afternoon, I had not had my sleep for obvious reasons and was probably a sheep short of the top paddock. I stood there and proceeded to book our whale watching for Thursday. The Lovely Husband stood beside me confused but said nothing. We advised the kids we were all booked and they were also confused but said nothing.

In the car driving back to our room I mentioned the whale watching for Wednesday. That's when they all said something. What are you talking about says I, we agreed to go whale watching Wednesday. So why did you book it for Thursday they asked. I obviously was thinking Wednesday but my mouth said Thursday. We put is down to my fatigue of course. That is until....

Example 2

One night during our holiday we decided to have takeaway. The Young Negotiator (son) and I decided on Indian. The shops were walking distance from our room and of course I knew where I was going. It is just up here says I. So my son and I walk up the three blocks to the Indian. Huh? Not there. Must be the next block down. Still no. We will try one more block. Nup. Poopanola!! We asked a taxi driver for directions, it was the next block down. I was only three blocks out. A piddling amount really.

Example 3

On our last night of holidays at the beach we decide on fish and chips, the ultimate beach side takeaway yeah? We were on the fifth floor and the view was spectacular.... of the torrential rain and howling wind. Let's walk says I. The car space under the building was tiny and our station wagon filled it completely thus making it a juggling act to drive in and out of it. My family do not disagree with the walking idea. We had one raincoat and one large golf umbrella. With three control freaks under the golf umbrella, all knowing the best way to face the umbrella and one Lovely Husband and his raincoat we walked the three blocks to the fish and chip shop. Yeah this is a great idea mum.

On the way back I was in the lead and had control of the umbrella. Somehow, in the dark and stormy night I took the wrong turn and was walking into a car park next to the beach. My family followed me silently, wondering what on earth I had found to look at at this time of night with our fish and chips getting wet and cold. Eventually I discovered the error and radically changed direction announcing my mistake. That's when they all advised me how they knew that but thought I wanted to look at something. Why would I want to look at something at this time of night while our fish and chips was getting wet and cold? says I.

Trust or fear? Trust or fear? That is the million dollar question. Hmmm, I like to think trust personally. My sometimes Lovely Husband claims fear. Either way, it makes for a good laugh and I am sure my family will agree with me.

Whale Watching

For those unaware, the humpback whale migrates south along the east coast of Australia from about April. It is prime whale watching season because they are frisky. They give birth down in the Antarctic and then they come back up the East Coast with their calves and head north. October is the end of the whale watching season and we made it a part of our family holiday.

The iconic Australian family the Irwins - Steve (dec'd), Terri, Bindi and Robert own Australia Zoo in Queensland where the Crocodile Hunter's parents began with a few crocodiles in mud holes 40 years ago. It is now a major animal conservation park and it is brilliant! A must see for overseas visitors. While there we booked a trip on the Steve's Whale One boat for the four of us. What a great day we had out on the water. My photos are not great. It was hard to know when to photograph and when to just watch but we loved it.

This was the second time whale watching for the Lovely Husband and I and we so wanted the teens to experience it. The trip was for four hours, they gave us morning tea and a beautiful buffet lunch. An all round great trip. I was totally fatigued at the end of it but I didn't care, it was whale worth it. (That was a one tonne pun....)

The Family Holiday

We have just returned from a family holiday.....and survived. It was great actually. There is nothing nicer than a 17 year old lad and his 14 year old sister who are more than happy to spend quality time with their parents, and each other. I feel extremely privileged to still be appreciated by our teens.

We stayed in a very nice beach side apartment and played tourist but the best times for me was the card games, board games and the time spent in the car while traveling. We laughed, we were silly, we teased each other and most importantly we talked. Oh, and of course the Lovely Husband and I embarrassed them. The lift in the block of units was small and poky and when my love and I began smooching in front of our offspring (for effect) it sent them into fits of twisting and turning, covering eyes and groaning, begging us to stop. Mission accomplished! It was not all one way though.

One day we were stuck in traffic on a highway due to a major pile up involving five cars and a truck. We sat, motor off, for quite some time as you can imagine. My suggestion was "I Spy". It had not been played in our family since the children were small. Reluctantly, all agreed. Well, I Spy with teenagers is a little different apparently.

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with G"

It could be garden or gate right? No, the first word to come out of our daughter's mouth was gonorrhoea! What the? The teens thought that quite hilarious. It was a game of "Shock the Parents". Payback time!

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with D"

Maybe dog or driveway. Nope, our son shouts douche bag! It was on for young and old. There were many more words, not all so personal but just as obscure and it kept us highly amused while we waited out the traffic jam.

Unfortunately when the traffic was diverted from the highway we got hopelessly lost and a trip that was supposed to take 50 minutes turned into two hours. On the surface it seems like not a great part of the holiday but in actuality it was hilarious.

I honestly don't know where those kids get their twisted sense of humour from.

Colour in the Paddock

The flower is from our Queensland Waratah Tree. It is a rainforest species even though we have it in our garden on a wind-swept hill, which the nursery owner did not recommend at the time of purchase. I had to have it and you can see why. It has survived many a storm, it just has a slanting trunk.

The clover is just a lovely green isn't it?

Do you get the impression I am a tree-hugging, nature loving country girl? To my offspring's' ever-loving embarrassment I do hug trees.

My Long Suffering Family

I love reptiles, this is a little skink on our front fence post. I appreciate big lizards too and even snakes. A lot of people hate and fear snakes but we have to live with them in our country and I think the fear of them is a waste of energy. We have had a couple of close calls with venomous snakes but were not bitten.

When I was a child I was absolutely fearless when it came to all manner of reptiles and bugs. I would capture the bearded dragon (native lizard common in gardens) and hang them on the front of my t-shirt. I thought they loved me as their claws dug desperately into my shirt but in reality they were hanging on for dear life. I would keep them for a day or two and then release them. We also had blue tongued lizards in our garden which were easier to catch as they were more sluggish. As the name suggests their tongue is actually blue. Except the one I shared my red icy pole with. It's tongue turned a strange purple/red colour.

I was slightly obsessive when it came to "creepy crawlies". I had the whole Steve Irwin thing happening, just not the enthusiastic dialogue. I shared a room with my sister who was seven years older than me and was not impressed with any creature I happen to treasure. Many times she screamed, running hysterically from our room accusing me of targeting her with my Christmas beetles (dung beetle) or chrysalis or frogs. I thought that her bed was the perfect environment for my new friends. OK, so I was not terribly well informed. My mother's sewing draws were often populated with a collection of beetles or cocoons.

Boys at school who loved to frighten girls with frogs from the boys' toilet were sorely disappointed with my reaction.

I don't fear the reptiles and bugs as an adult but I don't go around catching them either. They are best left alone and appreciated in their natural environment, not hanging from my clothing.

Cous Cous

Our elderly cat. She is beautiful and gentle. Her mousing/ratting skills over the years have been excellent. Unfortunately, as cats do, she has also caught her fair share of birds, frogs and small native animals. In her old age she has cut back and usually deals with any rodents that foolishly enter the house at night. She is the quiet and unassuming member of the family.

Cous Cous has the habit of sleeping on the end of our bed during the night. Look at this face and see why I sleep around her. I don't move her and take charge of the bed, no she sleeps where she likes and I make room.

Wolverine

I call this bit of arty farty photography "Wolverine". I imagine the scars are actually left by a koala. Perhaps one with a sketchy past, maybe even with anger issues and over developed muscles. Mayhap this particular koala has really overdone sideburns instead of cute fluffy fur on its ears. Could be that this koala has these amazing claws that extend from its cute little paws when it is enraged. He or she has some really quirky friends and a mentor who happens to be a bald koala who is physically disabled and has amazing brain powers. This 'wolverine' koala probably has a dynamic and dangerous name like Koala or it could be more obscure like Kevin.

WOW, how exciting. I had no idea we had such amazing wildlife here. (Or could it be an amazing imagination bordering on demented?).