Supper last night

Carrots, onions, beetroot & tomatoes courtesy Bill & Brendas garden. Parsley & chives about all I have in my garden at the moment. Store bought lettuce (can't you tell!).

Swimming buddies

Low tide at Yanchep Lagoon, 8.30 14th December - water COLD.

Just come across another very good author, Brenda Walker. ‘The Wing of Night’ a powerful novel of love & war, written in 2005.

“Perth based writer Brenda Walker recently released her fourth novel, The Wing Of Night. She draws on years of research about WW1, and her own family history in a novel about the impact of war at home”. From Life matters ABC

The novel is mainly set in the farming communities of the south west of Western Australia where women were left to run farms. They formed strong bonds with their neighbours which transcended class divisions.

The book also explores what it was like for the men who survived the war and returned home.

11.30 today

The flower is not my favourite colour but it seems it crops up often in my digital art, 'Labyrinth 1' so here is another shot taken this morning.

Two big kookaburras sitting on a wall, one with a chip & one with ****** all.

11 am this morning & getting bigger.
Arrived today an email from Mr T. about

'The way to inner peace at Christmas..."

I am passing this because it definitely worked for me today, and we all could probably use more calm in our lives.

Some doctor on the radio this morning said that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started.

I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished and before leaving the house this morning...

1. I finished off a bottle of Merlot,

2. I finished a bottle of shhhardonay,

3. a bodle of Baileys Irish something,

4. a butle of vocka,

5. the res of the Chesescke

6. an a box a chocolets.

Yu haf no idr how gud I fel.

Peas sen dis orn to dem yu fee ar in ned ov inr pece.

Suprise

Suddenly the globe artichokes burst into flower just when I thought they would look really good dried. (See 1^st pic on Nov 26^th).

I am reading a Rosie Thomas book ‘Iris & Ruby’. Another excellent one. Quote: “Memory is not a recipe or a shopping list. Memory is the scent of clear water at an oasis, the brush of lips on naked skin, a plangent chord”.

First dip

Went to see Sue at Indian Ocean Gifts in Yanchep yesterday. So many items that were tempting, in the end I bought this cute little box to put my washing in. There were other things which I will show after Christmas.

This morning I had my first dip in the lagoon, many people were there as it is Abalone season. Where do they all come from? Most of them left just before 9o/c and it was back to a few locals, no doubt later today it will be packed again.

Collection

Textile art, rubber stamps & my collection of pins.

Postcrossing news:

How amazing is this! I sent an official card to Giovanni in Italy, he was kind enough to make me a card covered with used stamps. Great! Yesterday I needed to send more official cards & there was one to Eliana in Italy asking for the card to be sent to her brother Giovanni ….. Yes one and the same…. Out of 74,584 members!!!!

Also this week I was asked to download a card sent to me in 2006 ID 1394. When I found it I put it on my postcrossing wall, it was a scene of ‘Girgaum Chowpatty (MUMBIA – INDIA). That evening I watched as Mumbia was attacked. Still waiting to hear if our fellow postcrosser is OK.

Great place to swim!

At this point I shall add this great recipe for

WATERMELON, FETA AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD (I hope this is OK to copy from Nigella)

INGREDIENTS

1 small red onion

2–4 limes, depending on juiciness

1.5 kg sweet, ripe watermelon

250g feta cheese

bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

bunch fresh mint, chopped

3–4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

100g pitted black olives

black pepper

Serving Size : Serves 8

1.	Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes’ worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more.
2.	Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm triangular chunks, if that makes sense (maths is not my strong point). Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.
3.	Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime. Hava Negila! The taste of Tel Aviv sunshine!

To Let

A bird (box) in the hand. Now vacant.

Just another still life

Tiny toms

The first of the tomatoes.... very small but very sweet! Have to do better than this with the next lot.

To wear or not to wear?

Have to get shoes laces - rainbow ones?

Mmmmmmm............

Mmmmmm …. Think I’ll just sit here with my paws crossed & contemplate those two youngsters mucking about in & out of boxes (see Sams blog).

Still Life with Beads

Interupted catnap

3.30 in the aftenoon, I'm on my bed reading the excellent 'WHITE' by Rosie Thomas. Ebony on the widowsill. We both catnapped 10 mins later.

Entwinement

I was lucky to be given bunches of beetroot, spring onions, parsnips and carrots yesterday. So salad tonight and roast on Sunday. Just couldn’t part these two though!

Two for the collection

An envelope with four great stamps on, arrived today from Paul in the Netherlands, inside were two cards covered with stamps. Some people are so good to take the trouble to help my project. I still have a long way to go to get stamp cards from every country. So thank you Paul also Trishka from Estonia (don’t you just love the ‘bat’ stamp?).

Yum!!

Recipe for an unusual cake: I added chopped ginger and next time will cut down on the sugar. From The Food Pharmacy cookbook by Jean Carper. I' ve also started making bread.

Books, History & Creepy thing

Have been busy and lazy for the last few weeks. Finished reading ‘The House of Storms’ by Ian MacLoud – very strange but compelling book to get through 457 pages. Now onto another Rosie Thomas, this one ‘Bad Girls, Good Women’ goes back to 1955 and is 826 pages (3inches thick!). That’s in between making more stamp postcards, tracing the Beck family back in time (5 books out from the library on family history and hours on the computer) and general stuff in and around the house. Found the many legged thing in the bathroom sink when I went to clean my teeth.

3 postcards

Three amazing shoe postcards from Paulina in Finland.

Stamp card from Vilmante in Lithuania.

Check it out

My latest favorite blog
http://little-people.blogspot.com/

Kookaburra

This Kooaburra is sitting in the old gum tree in the back garden. One of pair just hanging around laughing.

Postcards covered with stamps

I am looking to get handmade cards covered with used stamps from every country, if anyone has time I would love one. I will swap.so far I have USA, France & Norfolk Island.

Ebony relaxing

Sitting in the sun - what a life. Bliss.

Gordon sulking

This is Gordon who has a house and at least one slave in New Zealand.

And one for the smokers

Watch your step when using the loo!

OK so it's been a long time!! Anyone want to paint the bathroom floor.........

And one to go...

Waiting to be sent - 1st come 1st served. More in the pipeline.

A cluster of stamps

Private swap of a postcard covered with used stamps.

Back from the Void #9

This arrived today, an envelope full of ATCs & stamps all by the hand of wackystuff. Go check out his website http://stuffbywackystuff.blogspot.com/

The power of electricty

Power cut yesterday (4pm - 7pm) due to someone digging in Yanchep & today the pole outside next door caught fire so power off from (10.30am - 4.20pm) !! Just in time to have a cuppa.
Finished reading 'East of Eden'. Phew!!!

Still life with candles.

Reading East of Eden – a very powerful book. The film only told the half of it.

Weather is a little on the cold side (0.7 to 2 deg at night) so am all rugged up, not a pretty site. It’s much warmer outside in the sun during the day, rain on the way.

Torched!

There have been quite a few trees set alight in the neighborhood and last night it was my turn to dial ooo. Rather frightening seeing sparks fly past the front of the house! Next door there is one of these trees (sort of palm) right next to the fence, thank goodness the Volunteer Fire Rescue truck was not far away. I took the photo from the front room window.

New postcard

A mouth watering card from nordbaer (postcrossing).

Bookcase #1.

These are some of the books & other 'stuff' I just had to keep. Just finished 'March' by Geraldine Brooks. Next will be either ‘Five Quarters of the Orange’ by Joanne Harris (read ‘Chocolat’ last Friday) or ‘Mao’s Last dancer’ by Li Cunxin. And then there is always ‘Narnia’ (still on shelf) or ‘Dirt Music’ by Tim Winton (next book club book). There was a suicide in my road last week, no one I knew. Very sad.

Ebony exploring the back garden.

Very odd

Have just noticed there appears a ‘ghost’ in the mirror (upper shelf with scrolls around). That is not an old photo of a Japanese lady or anything else!!! Wonder what it is.

Here’s looking at you….

Eb waiting for me to feed her. Have now emptied every box & spread my 'stuff' around.

Front cover thrill

The image 'Time & Tide' is a bit darker than the original, still a thrill to see the book published!

New Book

The move was as stressful as any other although I should be used to moving as this was my 28th!!!

Finished reading ‘People of the Book’ by Geraldine Brooks. What a ‘couldn’t put down’ & didn’t want it to end’ book, thoroughly enjoyable. Am now into the 4^th volume of Jean M Auel’s ‘The Plains of Passage’.
Barbara (Yates Rothwell) called in today with a couple of copies of ‘No Time for Pity and other Tales’ her new book with my image on the front cover. She also gave me lots of book marks & some postcards. Hope I can find everyone’s address.

Settled in.

All is well, computer fixed, most things working & have just unpacked last box of 'stuff'. According to the owners the house looks 'happy'!! Pot plants have helped.

Minor set backs.

Have been 'home' now for ten days but only just had phone connected this morning. Not that that will help with being on line as I have blown up the computer!!! Think it is a faulty switch so now waiting for electrician. Ebony is OK & so am I, very happy here in spite of a few setbacks. All for now, back later in the week.

Almost there!

I had a very busy day today spent packing. I don’t believe all the STUFF I have collected over the years! Goodness knows where I’m going to put it all. At least I was able to get the keys of the new place & made a few trips ‘up the road’. Couldn’t have done it without a very good friend who helped me. Bless you Merle. Ebony disappeared under bushes in the back garden when the window cleaner came I hope she does the same tomorrow when the removal guys come & move all the furniture, boxes etc. I’m off now to make an omelet, take some pain killers & chill out in front of TV. Hope to catch up tomorrow eveing if Telstra gets me fixed up.