It's Christmas

Well Hi everyone, its the silly season again, and though I am nor sure who reads the blog anymore, am making a supreme effort for Christmas.

Fraid that this pic from us was taken awhile ago, now seems like years ago, before I turned into the hobbledy boy.

It comes with lots of love to you all at Christmas and with a wish for a bright and beautiful New Year.


Its been a while since I was at the beach and can't really get onto the sand or into the water but always with the help of beautiful Mandy I get to sit at my favourite spot with a good coffee and overlook the water...that's what's important, seeing that water and thinking of everyone.




The parrot is a dear friend and the only one I feed by hand if he wants, but he prefers the food bowl I think but certainly will fly onto my shoulder if there is no feed or he can't get near it cos of the other parrots.

You see he also has a gammy leg, though he has done much better than I with it, and never complains. We have spent much time together and he helped me through the worst patch of the disc, back thingy.

Now, I have an appointment to see a neurosurgeon on 22 Jan 2008, and thats exciting. He will tell me whether or no, the surgery. Feeling much better with it all, though still frustrated at not being able to do much. Mandy is just the most amazing woman and has all the stuff to do here as well as her job. I do wash up, which believe it or not is a great acheivement.

At this time of year though when there is much to do it's hard to not get in and do my bit, but as they say this too will pass.


So all our love to you all, and may your Christmas be bright. All the new babies will have their first Christmas and am sure the grannies and grandads will be buzzing.

HAPPY DAYS

A belated catch up

For any reading the blog, though at times I do wonder if I am just writing a personal diary, thought I should at least make an effort to add some 'doings'...umm think that is a word borrowed from my father.
Lots has been happening which is why I haven't added much of late. Larry the lump reappeared and has been causing some problems, but working on alternative treatment, which I think is moving forward, but is slow. At this time though better than surgery. No worries though, all seems to be calcification...this has all taken much effort at healing and some rather cosmic approaches. Oh well always ready for an alternative.
Had some time in Sydney while M was away on a tour. Must say that this trip was not the best and she returned completely exhausted. Always sounds good on a tour but not always as one would hope.
One of the delights for me apart from catching up with daughter J was that we found a delightful garden in the middle of Sydney's Darling Harbour (no not in the water) a Chinese garden that almost seemed magical and certainly we disappeared into the quiet and peace of a Chinese garden.
Winter is upon us and the lower temps are here, though no complaints as we still have an average min 8 degs max 19/20. The tomatoes from the end of the season are still growing as are the capsicums????The beautiful frogs we have on our verandah that are very very tiny...this one loves it amongst the Aloe Vera are now hiding away for winter...amazing that they change colour to suit their surroundings...found one on an earthenware pot and was hard to see it the colour was so well matched.
The garden needs much work and lots of compost so have bought a mulcher shredder to convert all our mass of waste growth into mulch. Still haven't used it yet but on the go for this weekend after clearing much bladey grass....

Mandy and I have spent much time at Turtle Rock (our name for it) right on the edge of the ocean where we watch the green turtles feed and play...sadly very hard to catch on film....
Hope that the other hemisphere has much warm and delightful weather....

More to come soon I promise........

Trial Bay and Dya Singh

Just a few pics to tell a story of a beautiful afternoon in the autumn sun at Trial Bay Gaol


...as you can see the stonework is still there but all metal was removed (for scrap) when the Gaol was decomissioned after the second War...it had been a prison of sorts for german and political prisoners. The mission to build a stone wall out into the sea that had commenced in the early century continued though once again the power of nature proved that this was a ridiculous operation to attempt. The prisoners during the war led a relatively easy life in comparison to others around the world.

Sunday saw an Arts Council sponsored event that brought Dya Singh and his band to the Gaol...stangely it was a wonderful background to his hindu spritual music.



His daughter is amazingly beautiful as are all his daughters who sing with him. We were treated to a bollywood dance by her as well as a beautiful voice. Her father looked on and though he said that Bollywood was not his thing I don't think he would say no to her.
In a time of such war and turmoil amongst religions it was a peaceful space to connect with others and be thoroughly spoilt. Dya Singh tours all over the world and has his own web site should you be intersted.

As Autumn calls

Reading blogs from the other side of the world is sometimes strange as we are all planting the same things lately, yet ours is for winter growing. The summer garden certainly suffered from this years heat. Now though Autumn has hit as if someone new it was the end of daylight saving.
Night temps are down to 15degs but the days still range from 24-30.

The Golden Orb Weaver has now finished her sojourn with us, Oct-March and then gone, as a silent signal heralds the colder months and time for her to sleep.


The walks on the beach now catch the last of the light on the shorter evenings, and soon we will have to catch the sun during the day on the weekend as the weekdays will be too short.


And for the blogger who placed 'Where's Wally' pics or rather 'where's the deer' well can you find the animal in the first picture...of course the second one gives a hint and sorry so small but it is not easy to catch a pic of these as they dissapear quickly.



Wishing you well with the gardens and the Spring and some warmer weather. What will the climate do this year I wonder.......

Of bamboo and goannas

The bamboo that appeared on the blog...just scroll down for a look has now reached some 3 metres plus and is about 60cm thick...it may well take over but is wonderful and brings the frogs and birds to the water underneath it...a little noisy at times with the frogs...
We finally found what has been living underneath the fridge...a goanna we think..a baby...and as will be understood from past posts we don't need an adult pet goanna...now free to raom in the garden...as long as Charlie does not see him/her...
All well in the bush...lots of rain lately which is a bonus for the whole place...smells great...though the grass is again raging....all the wild critters are certainly buzzing...

A little note to say.....

that life has been a bit busy of late...and some major computer repair work necessary...all back together now...and catching up with work...
The bamboo shoots are now over six feet tall and five more have appeared and are as tall as the first though much fatter...a bamboo didgeridoo in the future maybe?
Rain and more rain and the tank is full...we are lucky with the water so far...
Watching snow in London and heat waves here...now it is cool again and severely wet.
The frogs are going mad on the verandah, and we can watch them croak and piff out their chests on the bird bath under the bamboo...the kangaroos have appeared again after an absence whilst it seems they have grown the joeys in the pouch enough...
The smells in the air of the bush in the rain are like heaven...not 'the heaven' just my idea of one.
Will get back again with some pics as soon as life allows the time...

Summer

Summer Hot Days...sometimes 36-38degs and then cold. At last the rain came...it was getting drier and drier. We are in a fortunate position to be where we are in NSW.


The Bamboo shot out (3 Shoots), and this one grew almost 30cms in five days...ahhh to sit and watch the bamboo grow eh?


The passionfruit has come to the end of this years first season...they have been bountiful...the kitchen full of the smell of the cut fruit......oohh yumm


The frangipani that was a cutting stuck in a pot has had its first good year of flowers...the one in the garden which is pink has also buds this year....looking forward to their opening.


And sadly the bottle green subie is now gone to another place...maybe a heart transplant...what a brilliant car...310000kms on the clock...so to introduce you to MM 02 The Silver Subie...MM is very pleased...she deserves it...drives a way each week...brummm brummm


Little bits of summer news...pc RAM half gone...partition on drive corrupt (has all my multimedia programs on) Finishing up the whole unload reformat reload...but at least not the system drive...now await new RAM...to keep her going for another year...

Child of Tibet

A book to recommend that I have just finished...really uplifting, amazing and very beautiful. Now living in the UK (thank heavens that there is still the openess of heart amongst some to give a home to a refugee who in turn can give the world such spirit).
Have a listen to the voice of this wonderful woman who has a taken a journey I don't think I would have survived, though with her inherent beliefs she has been and is guided onward...
Web Site Link

Finally A Peaceful Bedroom

The week before Christmas was not filled with things Christmastide save for our pressie to us...changing rooms...saw the red and purple finally dissappear from the J&L days....ahhh

New colours, new blinds, new chest of drawers, and a much now delighted in new bed...

Also a new floor and a little rearranging and finally ready for the dash to Byron Bay to pick up the bed and get all done before Christmas....

The bed wall now waits for me to create an artwork that will finish off the room...have some ideas that I would like to put on canvas.....with some room colours picked through it....

Suddenly we feel like we have gone off to a resort when we go to bed...and the joy of sleeping in comfort and waking up with no innerspring groans....woohoo

Peats Ridge

Christmas, quiet and peaceful, nibbling fruit and cheese and yummy little things all day whilst watching old movies...Fred Astaire...etc etc... Boxing day and a visit from J&J and Kel

...all really good and very peaceful before the rush off to Sydney.
Another Christmas evening with M's chillun that was a continuation of the humour and peacefulness....Then the 28th saw us head off to Peats Ridge Festival and a little chaos once there. Eventually found a site by the river and settled in for the four days. All very 'chilled'...and a chance to drum with 153 djembe players and 7 taiko drummers...awesome...rehearsals in the morning...then festival for the rest of the day....ahhhhhh

New Years Eve and an opportunity after the drum spectacular at the main stage to dress up...choosing the traditional that M brought back from Dubai was probably not the wisest though at the time it seemed like dressing up. I do now have some inkling of the prejudice and fear that Muslims must experience...very weird in lots of ways...but to the two young men who made a point of welcoming me as a 'brother'...I did not break the illusion they had and thanked them and blessed them.
In truth their hugs and wishes were wonderful and very different from the reactions of many including the security people....how quick we are to judge it seems....
So the New Year was an amazing experience...in many ways....so I wish all, the most wonderful experiences in this coming year.....